Developer 'Rickrolling' rough sleepers outside central Christchurch building

Tuesday, 20 July 2021

Christchurch property developer Richard Peebles is playing Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up on continuous loop outside a Hereford St building to stop homeless people sleeping on his doorstep.

A Christchurch property developer is playing Rick Astley's song Never Gonna Give You Up continuously in a bid to deter homeless people from sleeping outside a central city real estate firm.

Richard Peebles described “Rickrolling the homeless” as “an elegant solution to an old problem”.

The internet phenomenon involves sending links videos that trick the viewer into playing the 80s pop hit.

Peebles got the idea for his own spin on Rickrolling while watching the Graham Norton TV chat show.

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Rick Astley performed at Christchurch Arena in 2020.

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Homeless people sleeping outside the real estate firm, sometimes in -4 degree Celsius temperatures, are obstructing the entrance “day and night” and leaving rubbish.

“Rick was on the show and he and an actor were talking about Rickrolling and what it was. I thought it sounded funny.

“I thought it was worth trying his song. We did realise it might cause a stink.”

Police have been called to the Ray White office on Hereford St over the song.

The song plays continuously outside this real estate branch on Hereford St in central Christchurch.

“We had someone go into the office and threaten the staff to stop playing the song,” said Peebles, who earlier this year launched a project to build 110 homes in the CBD.

Homeless people sleeping outside the real estate firm, sometimes in -4 degree Celsius temperatures, were obstructing the entrance “day and night” and leaving rubbish, he said.

There had also been ongoing problems with drug use, dealing, and violence for real estate staff trying to get into work.

Peebles says there have been problems with drugs and violences from homeless people sleeping outside his building.

“Young receptionists are subjected to awful sexual comments. They have to walk through a group of men who are being terribly abusive towards them.

“The tenants were going to leave, so we had to come up with something to try to solve the problem.”

RNZ Concert was trialled first after Peebles read that “music had the power to soothe”.

“That didn't work because the homeless seemed to like it,” he said.

Astley's 1987 hit, Never Gonna Give You Up, has now been playing on a continuous loop outside the real estate company for three months.

“We are under no illusion it is going to solve the problem, it may just move them on elsewhere. There has definitely been an improvement.

“It is a simple non-violent, elegant approach.”

Taste of Egypt employee Jaspreet Kaur, who works next to Peebles’ building, said she did not mind the song being on repeat as homeless people could be a problem in the area.

“It’s a small area. It’s hard when they’re just sitting there. Sometimes they say something rude to a customer.”

Therapy café employee Jasmine Aldridge works across the road and said the song was annoying and did not appear to be helping.

“Sometimes the homeless people are drunk and sing along to it.”

The reasons for homelessness can be complex.

A homeless man seated outside the building this week denied drug dealing occurred there. He said people were struggling and “just looking for shelter” from the cold wind.

Some homeless did use drugs because they sought some “relief from an unbearable reality”.

“Our presence makes some uncomfortable, they would rather we hide away. We are just trying to survive out here,” he said.

Peebles said police had been called on “numerous occasions”.

He was unable to trespass the men as they “would not give me their names” and he felt “police won't enforce it”.

Peebles said lawlessness in the CBD was a “big issue”.

Canterbury Metro area commander Superintendent Lane Todd said rough sleeping, begging or being homeless were not criminal offences, but police were called ''from time to time” to deal with public disorder or complaints about anti-social behaviour'.

Police may trial a campaign called Your Help May Harm, which has been used in Hamilton. It aims to guide the homeless to '’appropriate services”, as opposed to giving them money'.

Todd said police were also working with the business association, council and others on a long-term plan in relation to the issues raised.

In 2014, the council's library in Papanui began using a high-pitched sound, audible only to children and teenagers, to deter loitering near the front door.

It stopped using the noise two years later after being accused of using a “low level torture device”.

– Additional reporting by Emily Moorhouse