Opera music plays from the speaker outside a 7-Eleven on Linda Vista Road in Morena; the “Flower Duet” from “Lakmé.”
7-Eleven owners around the country have acknowledged using the music to drive away people experiencing homeless. When KPBS asked staff in several San Diego stores about it, they declined to speak on the record.
A few feet away from the speaker, a man sleeps on the ground.
In the trash can underneath the speaker, another man digs for recyclables.
He says the music doesn’t bother him, though research indicates it should.
Unlike music traditionally chosen as background noise in stores, opera is purposefully attention grabbing and almost impossible to ignore, according to John Iversen.
Iversen studies the effect of music on the brain at UC San Diego. He said music has been shown to be very beneficial — when it’s your choice to listen.
“You're deciding which music to listen to and how loud to listen to it and when to turn it off,” he said. “When you take that away, things change very dramatically.”
Iversen referenced the use of relentless loud music as a military tool of psychological torture.
Unwanted background noise raises stress levels, and Iversen said it’s highly correlated with socioeconomic status — the less money you have, the harder it is to find quiet spaces.
“You almost need to pay more to buy more silence,” he said.
Joey Rubio used to be homeless himself, and now works as a program supervisor at a detox center. He wasn’t really interested in talking about the opera music.
“It’s sad that they have to do this in front of the 7-Eleven,” Rubio said. “But think about it: If you own a business, would you want that in front of your business?”
To Rubio, there are much bigger problems to address. Like why people are sleeping outside convenience stores, and where else they could go.
“We need more beds,” he said. “That's what it all comes down to.”
There is still urgency in Rubio’s voice after six years working at the detox center.
“You can't just send somebody with mental health right back out to the streets and expect them to get right,” he said.
Music might not be enough to keep the thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness away from places like 7-Eleven that have accessible bathrooms and shade. Even opera.
7-Eleven did not respond to inquiries to their press email.
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