St. Louis, May 17 - Last night the city of St. Louis used a condemnation ordinance as a pretext to close Larry Rice’s new encampment, Integrity Village. The ordinance in question is designed for use in safety emergencies, which was clearly not the situation as tents were being newly erected on an empty lot. The city did not even cite any specific violations in its condemnation notification.
“We condemn the city of St. Louis’ decision to illegally dismantle Rev. Larry Rice’s Integrity Village,” says Brenda L. Jones, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri (ACLU-EM). “You can’t call something that might happen in the future an emergency. The use of emergency condemnation procedures in the absence of an emergency is an abuse of the government’s authority. Larry Rice and his supporters are being denied their due process, where the city should cite the ongoing risk to public health and safety first. And arresting four people only compounded the constitutional violations.” The ACLU-EM is investigating this matter and fully supports Rev. Rice’s right to demonstrate on behalf of St. Louis’ homeless citizens. “We will continue to educate citizens, including those who are homeless, about their constitutional rights.
“If the city has legitimate legal grounds to act in the community’s interest, it should state those grounds and act in accordance with the law,” Jones adds. “Instead, they acted like the neighborhood bully who thinks he can dictate his own rules.”