Oakland, a blue city in California, took down a traffic light at a busy intersection after thieves kept swiping copper wire, and residents say the nearby homeless encampment is to blame.
City workers replaced the traffic lights with four-way stop signs at the intersection located at East 12th Street and 16th Avenue.
The move came after people repeatedly stole copper wire and tampered with the electrical box at the intersection to allegedly steal power.
The city tried putting heavy cement blocks on top of the electrical boxes, but people simply dragged them out of the way, a city spokesman said. The stop signs are temporary, according to the city, but it does not have a timeline for reinstalling the traffic lights.
Neighbors expressed their frustration, and some blamed the homeless encampment around the intersection. The encampment spans about three blocks on 12th Street from 17th and…
