A Belleville man alleges local police spent a year trying to force his landlord to evict him from a rental home after falsely arresting him in a family dispute over children not doing their chores.
Martinez Staten, 36, served as his own attorney to fight a domestic battery charge, which was dismissed in March, and an eviction request, which was denied in May, in St. Clair County Circuit Court.
Now the father of four has filed a $2 million lawsuit in federal court, accusing the city of violating his constitutional due process rights while trying to enforce its Crime-Free Housing ordinance…