Police crack down on homeless in Sao Paulo

Police in Brazil cracked down with tear gas on about 1,000 homeless demonstrators in Sao Paulo who were hurling rocks, authorities said, with World Cup action here looming, AFP reports.

Demonstrators, who marched near city hall, are angry that plans for expanding housing and other developments in the Sao Paulo metro area have been delayed.

Members of the Homeless Workers Movement started hurling rocks, burning tires and trash, police said, at which point they moved on demonstrators and shut down city hall as a protective measure.

Sao Paulo, one of the 12 World Cup venues for the event that kicks off in 43 days, will host the first match June 12 and several others.

Many Brazilians are angry that the leftist government has spent billions of dollars on the World Cup while there are massive social and infrastructure needs at home that are going unmet.

Sao Paulo, a city of 11 million, is short by about 700,000 housing units, according to the mayor's office.