City says church can’t allow homeless to camp on property

Wesley United said to be violating several city ordinances

A matter of religious liberty is what one local church pastor says is happening in La Crosse.

The city’s chief building inspector, David Reinhart, sent a letter to Rev. Forrest Clark at the Wesley United Methodist Church that said the church is violating several city ordinances by allowing homeless people to sleep in tents in the church’s courtyard. He added, the tent stakes need to be pulled up, though Clarke wasn’t sure when that would need to be done.

The letter stated that the church must discontinue the use of tents as accessory structures and discontinue the operation of a campground on the premises.

Clark now plans to seek advice from the Wisconsin Methodist Conference and possibly confer with an attorney.