Los Angeles, California – In a disturbing trend that’s both dangerous and deeply cruel, copper wire thefts are leaving elderly residents in South Los Angeles without working phone lines—cutting them off from family, medical alert systems, and emergency services.
For months, 92-year-old Mable Bush’s landline, which she’s had for nearly 50 years, simply didn’t work. She could only be reached through a caregiver’s cellphone. AT&T later confirmed the reason: copper thieves had stripped the lines supplying Bush’s home, disabling her landline and the cameras monitoring her for safety.
Bush is far from alone. Her neighbor across the street had the same issue, as did multiple members of Dudley’s church in Compton and South L.A. While service was eventually restored to Bush’s home after Dudley contacted a local news station, the damage—both emotional and financial—was already done. Bush, who had been on auto-pay, continued to get charged $124 a month for a non-functioning landline. The family only received gift cards as compensation after Dudley intervened…