CLEVELAND — Large sections of Cleveland's Slavic Village neighborhood have been left in the dark for months after thieves ripped out thousands of feet of copper wiring from city streetlights, according to city officials and residents.

When a 3News crew visited the area, we saw it firsthand. As soon as dusk fell, most streetlights along Broadway Avenue stayed off. On one side of the street, lights flickered on; on the other, darkness.

Residents and business owners say the outage has changed how they move through the community — and they're worried about safety.

"It kind of affects me in a way because customers don't want to walk in here and walk out and it's a dark spot outside," said Rami Odetallah, owner of Smoker's Studio. "They don't want to get robbed or whatever it is."

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