The landlords and parents of Chico State students who reside near the intersection of Cherry and Sixth streets are a bit up in arms these days over a new neighbor who’s moved into the building that for years housed Ed’s Printing.

The new neighbor is technically the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, a local church that hosts Narcotics Anonymous meetings in the building. The meetings began in May. The building, located at 550 Cherry St., is owned by the “Gordon G. Living Grier Trust.”

The concerns voiced by the landlords and parents are directed at the people who come to the 17 weekly NA meetings, stand outside the building and smoke cigarettes, and, according to some, spread needles on the sidewalks. They also allegedly go through trash receptacles and make unsavory remarks to the young women who live nearby or walk past on their way to school. AA and NA Daytona Meetings in Port Orange and Holly Hill.

Robert Combs is the parent of a student currently attending Chico State. He says his daughter and roommate had to move out of a nearby house because of the presence of attendees at the NA meetings. Combs is a Chico State graduate and is president of the school’s Parent Advisory Council.

In an email titled “Has Chico Lost its Sense of Place?” Combs writes that his daughter “was very concerned to see those seeking counseling were loitering outside the facility prior to meetings, smoking, going through the students’ garbage and making lewd comments to our young adults, many of whom are on their own for the first time.” Continue reading →