Seaside residents, businesses press council for stronger management as unsanctioned camp draws complaints

Residents and business owners in Seaside described repeated thefts, drug activity, hazardous litter and damage they attribute to an unsanctioned homeless camp and its nearby recycling hub, and asked city officials at a community roundtable to confirm a planned relocation and increase on-site supervision.

At the meeting, Destiny Darris, a Seaside resident and former restaurant owner, said items including arrows were found buried on her property after a loud roof “explosion” she could not explain. “A couple days later, Phil walks outside and sees a broken arrow laying in the driveway,” Darris said. She described being concerned for neighborhood safety and property values and said she has personally engaged with people at the camp but worries some are there for drugs rather than services.

The meeting drew multiple accounts from business owners and residents near the camp on Avenue S about theft, needles and open drug use. Randy Stimper, a general contractor in Seaside, said the problem had put his contractors at risk: “I had a knife pulled on me by a homeless person. The problem…