PHOENIX Comment : the solution is use the empty buildings to house homeless people- common sense solutions.
SEATTLE -- State lawmakers are now talking about building a fence around Seattle's 'Jungle' to keep the homeless out of the area.
The Senate Transportation Committee has already approved $1 million to build the fence.
But the measure still needs the approval of the full Legislature.
Along I-5, as you enter and exit downtown Seattle, you can't miss the tents and the trash.
Many say the encampment known as 'The Jungle' is both disturbing and intriguing.
“We have the homeless and we have the squatters; these are the squatters,” Seattle resident Cindy Pierce said.
Following murders, sexual assaults and rampant drug deals, state lawmakers say the Jungle is too much of a liability to do nothing.
“It's awful for homeless folks, it's awful for public safety, it's really dangerous for drivers because you have dozens, hundreds of people underneath I-5,” said state Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle.
Carlyle says lawmakers now want the state Department of Transportation to build a 6-foot-high barbed-wire fence to keep people out since it is on state grounds.
The 8,000-foot-long fence from South Dearborn Street to South Bayview Street will square off the Jungle. The effort will cost about a $1 million and an extra $600,000 a year to monitor.
“Building a fence topped with razor wire is not a solution; not only is it not a solution, it is a counter solution,” Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant said.
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