Vandalism finds it’s way to Eureka nonprofits

For those driving down Broadway, graffiti may be a familiar sight. But sometimes, vandalism reaches those who are trying to help the community the most. 

“Well, somebody dumped garbage all over our front porch. We were open and they thought we were closed, and we chose not to close because one person what one person does shouldn’t determine what everyone else has to deal with,” said Marylee Price, who has been a cook at St. Vincent De Paul for 25 years.

“We closed in the past because trash has been too much. So we can hold people accountable for their own actions out here. We don’t like it, because the ones who never cause a problem, even the kids that come, you know, we, serve them out the back door, the kids, but they have to pay for other people’s mistakes,” said Price. 

The executive director of Eureka Rescue Mission says his thrift store is also a target for vandalism.

“The thrift store for whatever reason, I guess it’s just really pretty big glass windows that, you know, feel like they need rocks through them, I don’t know.  You know, there’s people in emergency shelters, so there’s always going to be people in need. We serve the homeless population, and we also serve people that have fallen on hard times, lost their housing, for whatever reason. Maybe their finances came to an end. And so we have our doors open for anybody and everybody that needs emergency shelter. So we take care of them. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing,” said Bryan Hall, executive director of Eureka Rescue Mission. 

And while these incidents have high visibility, Eureka’s police Chief, Brian Stephens, says there is no measurable increase in reported crimes. 

He also said:

“The Department hasn’t seen any abnormal or measurable increases in reported crimes or the transient population. As the department addresses community concerns regarding quality of life issues throughout the City, the effects of our efforts are sometimes seen and felt throughout the community. EPD works with our city and community partners to address these concerns and find long term solutions.”

Story by Tucker Caraway