Oakland locals blame homeless encampment for city removing traffic lights to stop copper thieves
Fox News
Oakland, California replaced a traffic light at an intersection with stop signs as locals place blame at a growing nearby homeless encampment.
"It's just telling us that the city is giving up on us," said Tam Le, owner of Le's Auto Body & Engine Repair, nearby the intersection, told CBS News. "If you really want to fix the stop sign, I think you really have to clean up this homeless encampment." "We gotta stop just putting band-aids on things. Although, a band-aid is better than bleeding out," one resident said. (Getty) Violent crime in Oakland increased 22% this year, according to the most recently available police data, which also show a nearly 10% increase in commercial burglary. (Getty) Hannah Grossman is a Reporter at Fox News Digital.
The lights had been working on and off for months due to criminals tampering with the electricity and stealing the wires, the report said. One local, Mason Young, said it was becoming extremely dangerous to drive through the intersection, and noted an accident that recently occurred there.