ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Another "Tent City" for the homeless has sprung up in the park at the corner of Tucker and Market, across from St. Louis City Hall. Rev. Larry Rice of the New Life Evangelistic Center says he started giving out the tents Easter morning.
"We have a lot of homeless people asking for tents. People often don't understand why would they want to be in a tent. Because they want some kind of control over their lives," Rice says. "I have individuals saying 'Well, we don't want to go to a shelter because they don't bring us back.'"
Rice says he gave out about 60 tents, some planning to camp out at various spots around the city. By mid-morning Monday about 10 tents were set up across from City Hall.
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Homeless man Don Jones says he prefers a tent to sleeping in a shelter. He was asked why others also prefer that to a local shelter.
"For the simple fact that people feel like (a tent) is their home," Jones says. "You ain't got to leave if you don't want you. You can stay in your tent all day if you want to. A shelter, you have to get out of there at a certain time."
Rice says when he gives out tents he has told some people that the city doesn't want them by City Hall. He says people are telling him they have "I've got a place down the street a few blocks or some say along the river."
Almost exactly a year ago, St. Louis forced an encampment of homeless to clear the same area after staying there for weeks. Other encampments around the city were also forced to disperse after eviction notices from the city.
Here's what the "Tent City" outside of City Hall looked like then:
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