Some are concerned about the city’s approach to addressing the larger issue in the area. The problems that prompted the switch to stop signs originate from a nearby homeless encampment.
The city of Oakland, California recently took an unusual step to address a recurring problem at a busy intersection: they removed the traffic lights and replaced them with stop signs. This action followed repeated incidents of tampering with the electrical boxes that controlled the traffic lights, leading to the theft of copper wiring.
Local residents and business owners attribute these issues to the nearby homeless encampment, which has significantly expanded over the years. Tam Le, who owns a vehicle repair shop at the corner of the affected intersection, expressed his frustration, stating that the city’s decision to install stop signs feels like a signal that it is “giving up on us.”
This incident is part of a broader trend of copper thefts in California. Recently, there have been reports of thieves targeting Tesla charging stations for their valuable metal. In Oakland, the traffic lights at the intersection in question had been malfunctioning for months, either blinking red or going out entirely, creating dangerous driving conditions.
“The city did try to fix the traffic light at least a few times. But once they fixed it, normally within a week or so, it will go out again,” Le told CBS News. He believes the root cause of the problem is the homeless individuals who steal power from the city’s electrical boxes and copper from the traffic lights themselves.
Local resident Mason Young acknowledged that the new stop signs are a fresh approach to a persistent problem. He noted that the stop signs are an improvement over the malfunctioning traffic lights, which had previously caused a truck to crash into one of the fences at Le’s repair shop. However, Young criticized the stop signs as merely a “band-aid” solution to a much larger issue, especially in an area that has seen a rise in violence in recent years. He remarked that while this solution is preferable to “bleeding out,” it is not sustainable in the long run.
Le, who has been operating his business at the intersection for 25 years, fears that the continued expansion of the homeless encampment could eventually drive him out of business. “If you really want to fix the stop sign, I think you really have to clean up this homeless encampment,” he said.
A spokesperson for the city in California stated that they had attempted to mitigate the issue by placing heavy cement blocks atop the city’s electrical boxes, but the individuals stealing electricity simply pushed them off. The city also mentioned that the stop signs at the intersection of E. 12th Street and 16th Avenue are a temporary measure, although there is no current timeline for when regular traffic lights will be reinstalled.
Le pointed out that several businesses on E. 12th Street have already closed, and he is uncertain about the future of his own business. “Because once they [occupants of the homeless encampment] move to our side of the sidewalk, we will be gone,” he added.
The encampment, which now stretches for three blocks along E. 12th Street, has continued to grow despite previous efforts by the city to clear it. This ongoing situation highlights a complex issue that involves not only the immediate problem of copper theft but also the broader challenges of homelessness and public safety in Oakland.
The city’s response has sparked a debate among residents and business owners about the effectiveness of such temporary measures. While the stop signs may reduce immediate hazards, many argue that a more comprehensive solution is needed to address the underlying causes of the problem. The situation in Oakland serves as a microcosm of the larger issues faced by many urban areas dealing with homelessness and its associated impacts on communities and infrastructure.
