DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Detroit homeowner near the Avenue of Fashion is breathing easier after a burned-out alley light that had been dark since July was finally fixed Monday.
Sherry Short, who has lived on West Outer Drive since 1988, said the light in the alley near her home went out around the time crews were doing electrical work in the area. For months, she struggled to get answers about who was responsible for repairing it.
"Very frustrating, especially when no one can tell you who put the lights up, that was bewildering to me," Short said.
"I'm saying someone has to know something," Short said.
Short said the darkness created a real safety concern, both for herself and for neighboring businesses.
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"Coming home alone many times, I need that light," Short said.
"I've had my garage broken into twice since I've been here, so I know lighting is important," Short said.
Larry Swygert, owner of L Swygert's Salon, said the alley light also matters for his business.
"It gives us more lighting and more access to watch what goes on in our alley because if you have intruders coming through talking about breaking in, all that extra lighting may deter them away from it," Swygert said.
Short's concerns first came to light during a recent Let's Talk event on Detroit's west side. After she reached out, 7 News Detroit did some digging to find her help.
We contacted both the Detroit Public Lighting Authority and DTE. Both said alley lighting is not their responsibility. But by Monday afternoon, DTE had sent a crew to fix the light as a courtesy, pointing to a bulb needing replacement as the issue.
Short said she is grateful the issue was finally resolved.
"I appreciate Channel 7 for coming out and looking into it because during the whole process no one would come out to see what I was saying," Short said.
"So it meant a lot that we have some place we can contact," Short said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
