St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones’ policies to combat homelessness are under scrutiny after a new lawsuit claims she is trying to silence her critics.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Yitzchak Simon filed a lawsuit alleging Jones called St. Patrick Center, where he worked, and threatened to withdraw city funding to the homeless services provider if it didn’t fire him.

The suit claims that Jones’ call was retribution for Simon criticizing her mass eviction in March of people living in a homeless encampment – using him as an example to other would-be critics.

According to the lawsuit, Jones conspired with her staff and a real estate developer to silence Simon, which the suit argues violated his constitutional free speech rights and caused him to lose his job.

A spokesman for Jones declined a request from the Post-Dispatch for comments on the lawsuit but said the mayor remains committed to improving homeless services.

Some advocates for the homeless sharply criticized Jones when she sent bulldozers on March 10 to remove what was once a busy homeless encampment along the Mississippi River, near the Gateway Arch, the Associated Press reported. The arch is part of a national park and is one of the city’s major tourist attractions, sitting as a centerpiece to St. Louis’ downtown area.

The advocates protested the demolition of the camp where several homeless individuals still lived. But Jones’ office said it would provide shelter to more than 25 people at the camp who accepted the city’s help.

According to the Post-Dispatch, the city announced that it would clear the encampment after a developer complained about homeless people harassing visitors and vandalizing the area where the developer was building new loft apartments.

Simon said he went to the encampment days before the mass eviction to provide services as part of his job, but he encountered hostile city employees at the site. He got into a dispute over arranging shelter for an individual. Simon said the staffer angrily told him that the city had already found a bed for that person.

According to the lawsuit, the dispute between Simon and city officials escalated and led to the mayor calling his boss to get him fired.

The lawsuit adds to complaints from other advocates who say Jones’ administration isn’t doing enough to shelter homeless people and has failed to keep her campaign promise to decriminalize homelessness.

But the mayor’s office told the Post-Dispatch that under Jones’ leadership, the city has opened 100 new shelter beds that are always available and has collaborated with partners to shelter homeless people suffering from severe mental illness and substance abuse disorders.