Pastor sues St. Louis over homeless camp shutdown

ST. LOUIS -- A pastor is suing St. Louis for blocking efforts to establish a tent camp for the homeless.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Rev. Larry Rice filed the suit Saturday in federal court.

Rice was among three people arrested last month as police took down the homeless camp. The longtime advocate for the homeless had refused to leave the camp he had opened earlier in the day.

Neighbors had objected to the homeless camp on the two-acre site near the Missouri Botanical Garden. Rice leased the site after the city cleared out other homeless camps, citing health and safety code violations.

Rice said Friday he wanted to file the suit "because we believe we have a right to be there."

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com