The Washington State Department of Transportation tells the Seattle Times they may not build a fence around the homeless encampment known as the Jungle after all.

This year, state lawmakers set aside $1 million for cleaning up and securing the Jungle. When legislators first introduced the idea, state Senator Reuven Carlyle proposed a six-foot tall fence topped with razor wire to keep homeless people out of the area. Then, after severe criticism, he backpedalled on that idea, while still calling for "modest, limited fencing." But the language in the state budget is vague and the ultimate decision is up to WSDOT. The agency told the Times, "We don’t have any plan right now to build a fence."

WSDOT could certainly change their minds as they clear the area in coming months, but this is an important update. Just as interesting, though, is a February email the Times dug up through a public disclosure request and included in this story. The message—sent by Seattle Police Sgt. Paul Gracy and then forwarded to the mayor—shows that at least one person within SPD who has worked with the city's homeless population sees the futility in shuffling homeless people from one place to another and trying to fence them out of an area like the Jungle.

Gracy called "current calls to sweep and secure the jungle" a "knee jerk reaction and a bad approach to the true issue." From the Times:

“The 36 years I have been with SPD the jungle has been an issue. As is the case now a high profile incident occurs and it once again is on the front burner,” he added.

The sergeant wrote, “If the people making the decisions would take the time as I have to sit down and listen to the folks that frequent the area you could see that these folks have made a conscious decision to stay or visit the Jungle.”

He went on, “No matter how much fencing they put in place the fencing will be breached and they will return. With that said I always like to come to the table with something to at least consider. I much rather have to manage these folks in the jungle outside of the downtown business and growing residential core. Every action has a reaction and we cannot push them out without a good plan.”

(Emphasis mine.)

Gracy then laid out his own plan to "create a make shift tents city" in the area. Gracy wrote that the city should improve the access roads in and around the Jungle, improve lighting, trim shrubs, and "place porta potties and dumpsters every 50 yards along the access roads" while offering outreach to the people living there to "convince them there are better options."

Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant brought up the idea of adding porta potties or plumbing to the area earlier this year, but got little support from the rest of city hall.

Carlyle, Mayor Ed Murray, Council Member Tim Burgess, and others have continued to insist the area is too dangerous to be allowed to stay open as a homeless encampment. Murray has repeatedly refused to take a position on whether WSDOT should build a fence in the area.