Seaside was an organized criminal syndicate operating out of Del Perro and a penthouse in Vinewood.
Its members included former high-ranking gang members, prominent public figures, and wanted terrorists. The group was active in both legal business and high-level crime such as heists and weapons trafficking. Seaside prided itself on the respectability afforded to its members due to their network of connections and wealth of experience under their collective umbrella.
Leader Benji Ramos placed the gang 'on hold' in December 2023, citing an unclear future.
Power Structure and Influence[]
Seaside was led by the 'Trident' - Benji Ramos and Karl Johnny Black - and a Council made up of long-time and trusted members.
Originally, Benji did not want Seaside to have a leader or a clear power structure. But the rest of the group were used to taking orders from him, so they treated Benji as the de-facto leader. This leadership was later made official with two additional leader positions.
The Council (formerly known as the Core Family) acted as a system for group making decisions. This stemmed from Benji’s trust of the founding members that were a part of the Vagos with him rather than associates brought into Seaside later. This act followed a series of back to back wars, pointing to the benefits of a clear distinction between vital voting members and adding weight to what it meant to be a Core/Full member.
| Hierarchy |
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The original power structure was:
In September 2022, Benji restructured Seaside to eliminate the Associate position, making it a full member role and distinguishing the former ‘Core Family’ group as ‘The Council’. A hang around process was also officially established which was similar to the existing process but introduced a majority vote to confirm hangaround status and an unanimous vote to be reach full membership. At this time, the procedure was to then monitor full members to see if they are ready to join the Council. The current structure is:
An additional rank was established in April 2023 to reflect the authority of founding members not involved in day-to-day decision making as members of Council. |
Family Rules[]
Seaside had a number of spoken and unspoken rules in regard to hierarchy and decision making, including:
- No shooting family.
- New hangarounds are to be voted in by a majority vote. Full member status require a unanimous vote.
- Members must be an "8 out of 10" on the aggression scale.
- If two members in a relationship break up, it cannot affect the cohesion of the group. The situation must be dealt with as a private matter.
- Members must put $10k into the family fund every Monday (exceptions exist based on gang asset fee contributions).
- If people decide to jump off the ship, members are not going to jump off and save them (referring to those considering leaving the group)
- Treat members who still want to stay on the boat with the utmost respect, with utmost fairness they can, and to treat them like family.
- Never forget where you came from.
- Don’t disrespect those who brought you up.
- All members are still allowed to talk to and hang out with former members of Seaside.
- Drug makers are to follow the ten crack Commandments.
Notable Events[]
| The Birth of Seaside |
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Seaside was formed in November 2021 by ex-Vagos members who chose to leave the south side after the former Vice-el Jefe Benji Ramos grew disillusioned with the leadership of Speedy and felt disrespected by other members of the gang. The ex-members of the Vagos that left with Benji were: Karl Johnny Black (KJ), Reggie Might, Pepe Ramos, Chico Guzman. Followed by Joaquin Jimenes (JJ) and Javier Diaz a few days later. Ash Ketchup, who was heavily associated with the Vagos through her relationship with Benji and subsequently became close with the rest of the gang, joined those who left in their pursuit of a new life out of the southside. They would go on to become the founding members, with Antonio Chorizo (an ex Vago hangaround) joining shortly after. Then there was Ash's pet rabbit that was last to be blooded for being a rat (Vagos spy). Later they formally added Yair Lamas (another ex Vago hangaround) as he kept good business relations and was good friends with some members, and proved to be level headed and reliable. Also, Benji's pet huskie named Tobias, that was blooded in when Benji first got him. Creation of the Name: For the first couple of weeks after the Vagos exodus, they didn't have an official name. The group jokingly tossed around names like their old 'EASTSIDE' mantra such as "Beachside" and "Seaside" as a nod to their meetups outside Benji and Ash’s beach house as members were blooded out of the Vagos and figuring out future plans. While the name "Seaside" started as a meme within the group, people around them, including members themselves, starting referring to the family as Seaside. Eventually, they officially named themselves Seaside. |
| Expanding the Family |
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In the beginning, Seaside was not interested in adding more members to the core family due to the unique shared experience they had forming Seaside. After noticing how many people were hanging around with Seaside, doing jobs and slowly feeling like the family, the group discussed the potential creation of subgroups. Benji asked opened the floor to suggestions for Extended Family members. As they began to invite people in, the group adjusted initial plans to fully bring on new members and created a path for associates to become full members. In the beginning there wasn't a major distinction between new members ("Extended Family") and the initial group ("Core Family"). For example, at the time the only difference was voting power, something some originally didn't want them to have at all, but this later changed. Seaside increased recruiting efforts in March 2022 with plans to have new members become Associates first with the possibility of officially joining Seaside later. Dropping the "Extended Family" title all together, existing members under the former title were folded into the core team. For example, Bodhi Mack. The role of associates was reassessed and has changed several times prior to its removal in September. Initially they were trusted members of the Seaside family who simply need more time to get to know all members of the family and/or establish themselves before a unanimous vote to blood making them a full voting member. The process later changed to a simple majority vote to become an associate, then a unanimous vote to earn a chain that would make a full member. |
| Seaside Sundays |
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In April 2022 Seaside held the inaugural ‘Seaside Sunday’, a day of fun activities designed to promote comradery among the gang. Organized by Bodhi, 10 rounds (plus a tie breaker) were held of ‘Seal or No Seal’ – a play on game show Deal or No Deal. Attendees were split into two teams, competing in rounds consisting of activities such as trivia, races, etc. The winning team then chose a container and would win additional prize money if they correctly guessed if it contained a seal plushie. Winner: Team Benji over Team KJ The April Seaside Sunday also included the promotion of Terry Linkston and Taylor Briggs to Seaside Associates. The second Seaside Sunday was held in August 2022 with a number of blue subarus replacing the containers. Winner: Team Benji over Team Reggie |
| Notable Wars & Conflicts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jasper Saxon and War against Serial Killers |
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In late 2021, Seaside member Reggie Might was drawn into a police investigation of the Cassette Killer Copycat murders due to his history with infamous serial killer Jasper Saxon. In an attempt to support Reggie, Ash Ketchup became involved by placing a Yellow Pages asking for the killer to call her. After a game of cat and mouse between Reggie and the copycat (which turned out to be Jasper himself) via phone, Reggie was abducted and tortured in December 2021. The killer then turned his attention to Ash, torturing her in March 2022. During her disappearance, Seaside turned its rage against any and all serial killers in the city. Chief focus of this ire was The Smileys, its leader Kenneth Jesperson and his then partner Ursula Leichenberg. At this time chatterbox and his Clown Cartel were preparing to go to war with Seaside, due to them being a group of serial killing clowns and wishing to avoid being next on Seaside's crusade to rid of the city of all serial killers. They also wanted revenge for what Seaside did to their fellow clown Ursula Leichenberg. This conflict never came to fruition thanks to Seaside associate Timmy Yougman, with the help of Links Missin, convincing them to lay low instead. In April 2022, Jasper (aka Alvin Kohawl) was apprehended after agreeing to meet with Reggie, and subsequently being attacked by Chico Guzman. PD moved in, arresting both Jasper and Chico. Jasper/Alvin was found guilty of multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, and acts of torture. He was executed in April 2022.  |
| War in Sandy Shores |
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In late January 2022, Seaside supported the Lost MC-created People's Republic of Sandy Shores in their attempt to secede from the State of San Andreas. On the day of the battle, Seaside troops arrived at the Lost Compound where they learned radio frequency and their unit partners - the Vagos. Equipped with war boats, Seaside and Vagos awaited orders before Benji Ramos was asked to invite the Ballas to the cause. A massive battle occurred near the hills, with Seaside and Vagos shooting up from the ocean and lower ground. Demetrius "Draco" Jones from the Ballas saw the PD starting to get out of their cars and made the call for Seaside and Vagos to go on land. Speedy and Seaside kept the PD busy on the hills long enough for the Ballas to make a godly flank. In the wake of the fight, Seaside managed to pick up some Vagos/Ballas and take them to Grandmas. Lost soon declared their victory. Twelve PRSS associates were captured in the war and sent for a HUT charge for treason. They were released later with shorter time and fines after police learned about them being brainwashed to join the PRSS movement. After the State sanctioned an asset freeze on the Lost MC, club members surrendered to the state and were charged for treason and fined. Michael Simone was suspected of arming PRSS with weapons and artillery. Seaside member Ash was one of the many people brainwashed to support the PRSS movement. *Written with assistance from Lysium loremaster / Recap Gang content |
| Avenging Michael Simone |
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In September 2022, Seaside became aware of the kidnapping of member Michael Simone. At the time, the story was believed to be that a few months prior, Reed Dankleaf had leaked information to the cops pertaining to Michael and his gun deals, almost resulting in Mick being captured for his various warrants. This action angered Michael and began to hunt Reed. In the evening of September 27, Reed was watching over Flossie Grey, Michael’s girlfriend, and witnessed Michael meeting with her. Aware of Michael's anger with him, Reed kidnapped Michael. At some point, the pair fought and Michael died. A Seaside group, headed by Nick Simone, undertook a search for Michael. On October 1, they were eventually led to a destroyed warehouse with a body on site. The corpse was positively identified to be Michael by Nick and doctors. Incensed by the loss, members of Seaside commenced a revenge campaign on cops who were disrespectful of Michael's passing. This was comprised of a series of bombings and vandalism with the 'MICHAEL WAS HERE' spray. On October 17, it was revealed that the death was faked in a ploy to fool the cops. His accomplices in the deception were Reed and Sai Carter, with Nick learning later during the search. Michael unveiled the truth to close friends including Benji, who claimed to have never believed the falsehood. |
| A leader steps away |
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Seaside experienced a slight leadership change with the departure of Ash Ketchup, a founder and former love interest of leader Benji. In September 2022, during a two-week-long absence of Benji from the city, she called a meeting and returned her flag and chain, citing group isolation and perceived disrespect. This followed months of her struggling with her leadership role despite Benji encouraging her to seize the power available to her. Benji would often remind her that the gang was theirs and KJ’s to define and direct as they wished. On Benji’s return to the city, he was told of Ash’s departure and move into Hydra’s Snake Pit. He promptly advised his members to focus on the future, to move on from the issue and not rise to any bait from external parties. |
| Project 54 |
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In November 2022, Seaside commenced 'Project 54', a plan to reach 54 gang sprays (beyond its then 36). This expansion stemmed from negotiations between Draco and Eastside Ballas leader Jon Joyce, exploring options to hand over a spray in the south side area closest to the Overboost Drift School for $1 million. The deal was agreed to via gang vote and handover actioned in the presence of Benji, KJ, Draco, Jayden, Pepe and Chico. Placements were strategically planned by Draco and Jayden, and sprays 37 through to 53 were placed in this south side dock area during back-to-back tsunamis. The final spray of Project 54 was placed in Del Perro. |
| One Year Strong / Seaside Olympics |
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“The Southside is goddamn near dead and look what I’m fucking doing - I got 26 strong members here. Whenever there is a doubt, just remember that we’ve all gone through the bullshit. The people behind me supported me before I had a single fucking eye on me and that’s how I know the backbone of Seaside is always strong” – Benji Ramos A year on from its creation, Seaside celebrated its anniversary with an extravaganza of activities including the Inaugural Seaside Olympics, heartfelt speeches, the placing of their 49th spray, and the bestowment of chains to all full members of the gang. The Seaside Olympics comprised of three events organised by JJ, including: blindfold racing, moped jousting, and a drunk bicycle race up Mount Chiliad. The overall winners were #1 Draco, 2# Ace and 3# Benji. |
| Simones and Seaside Vs The World |
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Six months after Seaside Council member Michael Simone’s fake death, police were informed that he was still alive when his thought-to-be-friend Miguel Almerion, along with girlfriend Lilith Fulker, snitched to PD and exposed him on social media. Miguel, citing that Michael refused him favours and didn’t appreciate his efforts, also handed over key evidence snatched from one of Michael’s safe houses to LSPD’s Jackie Snow. After consulting with people, including Benji Ramos, Michael initially opted to ignore Miguel. He was tired of an unending game of cat and mouse with law enforcement, and reached out to PD himself to commence negotiations for a plea deal with help from Reggie Might. During his wait, Michael carefully navigated shifting loyalties while simultaneously trying to keep himself alive. He and Seaside arranged for some of his illegal goods to be moved, including a sniper rifle, but the shipment was intercepted by members of Miguel’s gang. Being hunted by the Chang Gang umbrella, Michael agreed to meet with Miguel but took precautions. In one confrontation, Hydra descended on Michael’s supposed location only to find a body double. As Miguel shot the fake with Michael’s own sniper riffle, Michael emerged from foliage to shoot Miguel himself, reclaiming his stolen weapon. The shooting escalated matters, prompting Chang Gang to kidnap, interrogate and ocean dump people close to Michael including his brother Nicholas Simone and Benji. The violence was spearheaded by Mr. Kebun, citing an old grudge with Michael for accidentally blowing up a Chang Gang-affiliated car park. Others targeted included HOA 2IC Andi Jones and Lost MC President Rudi Rinsen. War seemed in the air as all gangs with impacted members gathered to consider their next move. Simultaneously, conflict between the Simones and Lang Buddha reached fever pitch when a state announcement went out describing Nick Simone as a terrorist. In response, Nick blew up Mayor Buddha’s car. A series of events, including Nick and Benji attempting to sway votes in the upcoming election as well as Buddha holding Nick hostage to go through his phone, culminated in a chase where Cleanbois member Harry Brown shot at the Simone brother. Ultimately, Benji Ramos had to intercede to keep the competition non-violent. However, Buddha and his loyalists continued to assist Chang Gang as accomplices to the kidnapping of various people close to Michael Simone. In a David verse Goliath effort, Seaside and HOA threw itself on the Umbrella war machine. Fighting to the last man to prove they would not go quietly into the night. Hunting squads made up of Hydra, Chang Gang and Street Team rolled out against Mirror Park forces, catching Seaside stragglers in their wake. As a Seaside six started their campaign, Hydra sought additional assistance outside the Chang Gang Umbrella, bringing in Angels and VFT for support. Hydra also sought out the Ballas leader Jon Joyce to double cross Seaside despite their fledgling relationship rekindling. Seaside found themselves cut off from key resources such as heroin and at the mercy of new resuscitation drug herodrenaline. After days of cat and mouse, Seaside faced heavy loses despite some key victories. Despite much of the city turning on them, with even close friends at best opting for neutrality, the conflict saw several Seaside allies prove themselves: Hayes staff worked tirelessly despite constant assault; Diamond Dogs’ Sai Carter made deals to supply Seaside with much needed drugs; The Saints leader Adam Prince used subterfuge to repair Seaside jewellery; and Jon Joyce pulled a reverse double cross, attempting to ambush Hydra during a fake kidnapping of Benji Ramos (an act that resulted in Joyce leaving the Ballas). The conflict ended mutually with a conversation between Benji and Hydra leader Juan Carlos Hernandez aka Flippy, acknowledging the reasons of each side and calling each other ‘Vice El Jefe’ in reference to their previous roles in the Vagos. |
| Benji Ramos did not steal a meth lab (REAL) |
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In July 2023, after a month of secrecy, Seaside member Axel Drake assisted former Street Team members Ace Tonnerre and Leon Von to steal a meth lab key owned by Bondi Boys MC and shared with the Chang Gang umbrella. The trio took the key while three BBMC members were traveling north to move the lab from its then location. While almost the entire gang was unaware of the operation, Ace and Leon handed the key to Axel for Seaside to protect. Several weeks later, the Council negotiated the lab’s sale to R.U.S.T. The deal included $2 million to be given to Ace and Leon, a Porsche transferred to Axel, and 12 weeks of free meth runs to Seaside. R.U.S.T also offered to bring in Seaside should they ever obtain another lab key. |
| The End (for now?) |
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With many of his people moved away, Benji Ramos was dealt an additional emotional blow with the departure of the Simone brothers from Seaside. The circumstances surrounding the break resulted in Benji grappling with his choices for the gang and his own perceived mistakes throughout its history – in particular, misplaced trust and expectations. This realisation followed Michael Simone, a then Seaside Council Member, facilitating the murder of one of Benji’s associates Edgar Del Castillo. The disregard of Benji’s thoughts on the matter and Michael’s choice to use another gang (Bondi Boys MC) to conduct the killing, brought to the surface Benji’s concerns that Michael had always been loyal to him… but not fully loyal to Seaside. The situation came to an emotional head at Bahama Mamas West as Benji raged at the loss of Edgar, reaffirmed his wish never to physically hurt his brother but threatened to murder one of Michael’s associates. As tensions rose, the meeting was bombed and bullets flew. Disappointed in the situation and his own choice to insist on giving the Simones a position of power in the gang, Benji gathered his remaining gang members to advise them that a new future was needed. Each member expressed their loyalty and appreciation of Benji and Seaside but before he could reveal his final decision, the group was called away to meet Reggie Might. Sitting together on a bench looking over the ocean, Benji, Ming Phong, Keandra Davis, Samuel Smalls, Dragon Rush, Louis Blanc and Dominique Reilly-Smith and Yuki Tanaka listened as Reggie explained that he was ill, an issue exacerbated by the Edgar situation driving away his main physician (Michael’s associate who Benji had threatened). As the conversation neared discussion on the future, the meeting was again interrupted – this time by a rocket-wielding BBMC seeking revenge from an earlier shoot out. Dragon and Louis defended and rescued their family, and Michael provided weaponry for the Seasiders to retaliate against the attack. After bidding farewell to Reggie as he left to seek a cure, Benji led an assault against the Billabong. Finally, back at Seaside Tower and joined by Karl Johnny Black, Benji told his family his plan – that it was time to say goodbye. He wanted to fix their problem, but first needed to fix himself. He asked them to keep their flags in their pocket, as one day they might reunite. And just like Los Santos’ ocean waves in winter, Seaside was frozen in ice. |
Songs[]
Music Videos[]
Trivia[]
- The unofficial Seaside motto was 'Stay Humble, Stay Deadly.'
- Seaside was the third gang to place 54 turf sprays, achieving the rank of "Powerful" in the Gang App.
- Seaside was the first group to successfully rob the renovated City Vault.
- Seaside was responsible for at least one death, Fake Scruffy AKA Scuffy.
- Seaside received an MDW gang tag following the JustUs war, conflict with Jasper Saxon and the subsequent hunt for the Smileys (all while being very vocal about it on Twatter).
- Family members had keys to Michael Simone's Los Santos Billboards office building under 'Seaside Family'. Benji later removed the keys so members would not be linked to Michael's terrorism actions.
- In early February 2023, Seaside successfully contested the Grove Street Cul de Sac spray, becoming the 4th gang to control the infamous turf after the Leanbois, Chang Gang and multiple iterations of the Ballas.
- Seaside was the unofficial home of the Jackals racing crew.