A California city replaced traffic lights with stop signs in a busy intersection after homeless people repeatedly stole copper from the electrical boxes controlling the traffic lights, according to DailyMail.
Residents in Oakland, California, told the news outlet that the traffic light issues stem from the nearby homeless encampment, which has continuously grown over the past few years.
Similar incidents have taken place at a Tesla charging station, where thieves ransacked car charging ports to steal copper-filled cables. Scrap prices for copper have averaged around $3 per pound, making copper a hot commodity.
Tam Le is the owner of a vehicle repair shop on the corner of the intersection where the lights went out. Le said the city is “giving up on us” by installing stop signs instead of stopping the homeless thieves.
“The city did try to fix the traffic light at least a few times. But once they fix it, normally within a week or so, it will go out again,” Le told CBS News. The business owner said he’s operated his business on the same intersection for 25 years. He fears the nearby homeless encampment could put him out of business.
The city attempted to halt copper theft in the stop lights by placing heavy cement blocks on the city’s electrical boxes, according to a spokesperson for the Bay Area. People interested in stealing copper reportedly pushed the cement blocks off and continued their crime spree.
“If you really want to fix the stop sign, I think you really have to clean up this homeless encampment,” Le said. A handful of nearby businesses have already closed as homeless people occupy the sidewalks, ultimately blocking people from a business’ storefront.
Le said he fears that if the occupants of the homeless encampment move to his side of the street, his business “will be gone.”
