Comments

1
stunning. no one could have anticipated this turn of events.
2
Clear out however and at whatever pace you want - the bottom line is that it's delusional to suggest that the city can do anything to keep people out of there permanently. No amount of fencing is going to prevent someone from finding their way in there.
3
Shittiest Mayor Ever.
4
@3:

That's basically what someone inevitably says about an incumbent mayor around these parts - until a new one is elected, then - lather, rinse, repeat.
5
A Mayor so spineless he can't develop a meaningful housing strategy – nor coherent, persistent community policing policies.

A Mayor so spineless he can't be politically seen actually removing squatters from public property, so begs a non-profit, private Mission to do the work.

A mayor so spineless that, when facing a slightest amount of political headwind on the Jungle (no doubt fragrant with urine from downtown alleys), he waffles on the schedule for action.

While packaged as compassionate, in truth he's a total pussy.

Lord help Seattle if there's an actual emergency. What a spineless wuss.
6
Nothing more dangerous than a well meaning incompetent. One and done Eddy.
7
The behind closed doors task force to forge the grand bargain on this one should be interesting. Obvious question: will encampment residents have direct representation?
8
@7: do they deserve it? what is their claim? "the earth was made a common treasury for all"?
9
@4: Wrong. Mike McGinn was a fantastic mayor. Murray has been shit from day one.
12
@10: then you don't know shit about either the folks living in the Jungle or UGM. Believe it or not, as bad as the Jungle may be: it more closely replicates "housing" than what the shelters offer.

Have a partner? Want to have sex once in a while? The Jungle.

Have a pet? The Jungle.

Have more possessions than you want to/can cart around? The Jungle.

Want to be guaranteed a place to stay each night? The Jungle.

Like to drink, smoke tobacco, consume cannabis (all legal)? The Jungle.

Use illicit drugs? The Jungle.

Don't want to hear about sky fairies? The Jungle.

Until the options we offer are actually better than living there, it is an entirely rational decision for folks to remain there.
13
@12, exactly. And Jeff Lilly was simply lying when he claimed that people won't be proselytized.
15
Keep The Jungle open for business. It's recruiting hundreds of new residents from other cities every year - and will do so even faster once we set up facilities for the residents. We obviously want Seattle to be the world's largest importer of bums, so keep this train rolling.
16
@12 I'm picking up what you are laying down. We need to flood the jungle with stormwater and turn it into a permanent stormwater detention facility. That will improve water quality in surrounding streams and keep the bums out.
17
"I know people want this story because it's the old story in Seattle: 'Mayor bulldozes homeless, throws 'em in bad situations.' But we're actually having a very different dialogue."

What a wondrous crock. Two days ago there were warnings of a sweep scheduled to happen YESTERDAY of AT LEAST 30 tents under I-5 on Jackson and King Streets. People with pets and partners are worried that there are no shelters for them to go to. The feral cats in the area that some Jungle residents and cat ladies are feeding will be scattered to the four winds, and possibly hacked to death by heavy equipment when areas are cleared just like the homeless guy whose head was shredded by a mower a few years ago east of I-5. The Mayor must not have paid attention in his math classes if he thinks only 65 people live in this area. He knows perfectly well that there are RVs in the Jungle that have been there for years and may not even be operative. These vehicles can't be towed to the Safe Zone off 15th Ave NW behind the Seattle Animal Shelter, because the Mayor's office has decided there are too many vehicles there already, and the same may be the case for the other Safe Zones. FYI there is a need for volunteer mechanics willing to try to get some of those broken down vehicles running, and the efforts of anyone who has such skills and tools would be greatly appreciated. Seattle's one and only Safe Lot is scheduled to be shut down in August. Yes, it's the one slapped together to appease the angry, homeless-hating Magnolians and Ballardites. Imagine how livid those people will be if they think the city placated them and then walked away from its commitments. I've lived in Seattle for 25 years and I've never seen a worse clusterfuck than this. Murray's head needs to roll right into retirement in the next election.

18
@12, be careful of what you wish for. In addition to the $1,000,000 Reuven Carlyle Memorial Fence, I predict Murray's highly paid consultants will prepare engineering plans for sprinklers, and surveillance cams. That's how fascists roll engineering landscapes designed for maximum suffering, not only of homeless people, but for everyone. Murray could save a few bucks just taking these ideas off the shelf and running with them, because a guy like him will figure they're needed in the more exposed areas the hundreds of people in the Jungle will be forced to inhabit by the time Murray and Carlyle have had their way with the Jungle.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/arch…

The other grotesque irony of this is that 13 of SHARE's shelters have closed since Murray and Constantine had their feelgood moment trumpeting to the world that Seattle has a Homelessness Emergency. In case they haven't noticed, Seattle is also adding many thousands of new residents every year, and, though some local politicians may disapprove, some of these new residents are po' folks. Maybe Seattle should run ads in major media markets warning "poors" not to come here. Yeah, that's bound to work.


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