Sunday, October 19, 2014

Joanne Bogella Passes Away!


Former American Idol contestant passed away this weekend.

Tragic circumstances happened to singer/entertainer Joanne Bogella. We here at Journal de la Reyna send our condolences to the family of Bogella.

She was signed to Wilhelmina Models in New York City, Miami and LA. She was the first winner of Mo'Nique's Fat Chance pageant as "Miss F.A.T." in 2005 and a top 24 contestant on the seventh season of American Idol in 2008. Borgella died October 18, 2014, due to a rare form of endometrial cancer that had spread to her brain.

Borgella shared a video alerting her fans that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Through a series of videos, Borgella continued to update those following her journey. "It's a rare case because it's spread to my chest," Borgella shared during her first video, "but it's really not about a stage [of disease]. God is with me and I feel his presence every day. I just wanted to share this information with everyone to let them know what I'm going through and I'm going to update everyone every week as much as I can."

Borgella shared that she was suffering through very painful headaches and, upon going to the emergency room to figure out what was going on, she found out that the cancer spread to her brain. Borgella died on October 18, 2014 at 5:45 a.m.

She was 32.

Borgella, of Haitian descent, was originally from Oyster Bay Cove, Long Island, New York. At the age of 13 she attended Union School in Haiti where her father, Dr. Joel Borgella, ran for President in the 2006 presidential elections. Her father is the founder of Radio Tropicale, the first international Haitian radio station. Borgella went on to attend private school at the Academy of St. Joseph's in Long Island for her last two years of high school and graduated in 2000. Her mother's name is Danielle Ford.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

That's My Negro!


The controversial rancher in Nevada comes back with his boy. His boy is running for Congress and he's bucking the rancher's assertions that the Negros were better off picking cotton.


Cliven Bundy the rancher who currently in a standoff with federal authorities has came out an endorsed an insurgent candidate who happens to be Black.

Kamau Bakari, a perennial candidate from Nevada is running on the Independent American Party, a far right political third party. He hopes that a real conservative stands with him over the actual Republican nominee for the U.S. House.

Bakari has ran for House in the 1st Congressional District and the newly created 4th Congressional District.

The 1st Congressional District is being being held by Dina Titus.

The 4th Congressional District is being held by Steven Horsford.

The old fool was a star on that annoying conservative agitator's program. When the rancher's cattle strolled on federal lands, Bundy was fined. Bundy refused to pay and it lead to them taking the steps to round up his cattle.

Loserville came to the rancher's aid. They went all in and agitated anti-gubmint White Nationalists to the Bundy ranch. Thus sparking an ongoing stand up with the federal authorities.

That annoying agitator pulled back support after videos were released of Bundy saying some not so nice things about Black people.

 Kamau Bakari
Now after six months of not being in the news, Bundy comes back. He even dares retiring Attorney General Eric Holder to see him and his armed buddies.

The Raw Story reports that Bakari is running to represent the state’s 1st Congressional District. Bundy and his wife registered as voters with the Independent American Party this past May, following an event celebrating his “courage in standing up for state sovereignty” by refusing to pay grazing fees for his cows’ use of federally-owned land.

The ad begins with footage of Holder’s February 2009 “nation of cowards” speech regarding racial tensions in the U.S., labeling him as a “race-baiter.” It then shifts to a scene of Bakari and Bundy, both wearing “cowboy” attire, complaining about the speech.

“I know Black folks have a had a hard time with slavery and you know, the government was in on it. And the government’s in on it again,” Bundy tells Bakari. “I worked my whole life without mistreating anybody. A man ought to be able to express himself without being called names.”

“I hear you, Cliven, and I believe you,” Bakari responds. “A brave white man like you might be just what we need to put an end to this political correctness stuff in America.”

Bundy became a conservative media darling earlier this year with his show of defiance toward federal regulations, eventually attracting hundreds of supporters, several of them armed, to his Nevada ranch. However, he was quickly abandoned after the New York Times published his statements regarding “the Negro.”
 Kamau Bakari should ask this annoying conservative agitator for airtime.
“I've often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things,” Bundy stated at the time. “Or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn't get no more freedom. They got less freedom.”

According to Politifact, Bakari is considered a heavy underdog in his race to unseat incumbent Rep. Dina Titus (D). His party platform states that “throughout human history, most men have been slaves to man’s institutions of government” and argues against not only the Affordable Care Act, but “mandatory medication or vaccinations” and collective bargaining agreements for workers.

Added this old fool says this little gem.

“This is one white man who’s not scared to talk about race,” Bundy says in the ad for Independent American Party candidate Kamau Bakari. “I dare you to come to Las Vegas and talk to us.”

“And don’t give us that ‘you’re too busy’ stuff,” Bakari says. “You weren't too busy to go to Ferguson, Missouri.”

Republicans Use "WILLIE HORTON" In Attempt To Win!

Oh, the scary old guy next to the scary Black guy. The Republicans will do everything in their power to defeat President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. This ad features a Nebraska state senator pictured next to an Omaha area serial killer.

The National Republican Congressional Committee released a television ad in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District on Friday that ties the Democratic candidate to a convicted felon.

I would say that our friends on the right aren't ashamed. They don't give a fuck about Black people.

After all convincing those scared folks that a contender is "soft" on crime, is one of the oldest tricks in the Republican playbook.

Wondering if Loserville is running those ads on that annoying conservative agitator's program?

The Huffington Post and major news outlets are reporting that this controversy is the latest attempt in driving the WHITE PEOPLE'S PARTY to victory. They will use every dirty trick to beat President Barack Obama. And today this one.

A "BLACK" CONVICTED FELON IS BEING USED IN THIS REPUBLICAN ATTACK AD!

The Republicans are hoping that Lee Terry could pull an advantage. By using "Willie Horton" in an political ad, the racist right will be able to win a seat that's highly contested.

The ad hits state Sen. Brad Ashford (D), who is posing a strong challenge to Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.), for supporting the state's "good time" law, which is more than two decades old. The law gives prisoners a day off their sentence for every day they spend behind bars without violating prison rules. Nikko Jenkins, the subject of the ad, served just half of his 21-year prison sentence even though he reportedly displayed episodes of violent behavior while incarcerated. He is accused of killing four people in a 10-day span after his early release in 2013.
Congressman Lee Terry (R-NE).
"The head of the Omaha police union says Nikko Jenkins is the posterchild for why the 'good time' law is a farce," the NRCC ad's narrator says. "Brad Ashford supported the 'good time' law and still supports it, allowing criminals like Nikko Jenkins to be released early."

The ad ends with Jenkins' mugshot displayed next to a picture of Ashford.

The NRCC's ad was immediately compared Friday to the infamous "Willie Horton" spot Republicans ran against Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988. It linked the former Massachusetts governor to Horton, who went on a violent spree while on a weekend furlough from prison. That ad was criticized for its racial implications.

In a preview to the new ad, Terry held a press conference last week linking Ashford to the murders, arguing that the Democrat had opposed modifications to the law.

NRCC spokesman Tyler Q. Houlton said last week that the GOP is not worried about Terry's campaign, but rather felt compelled to highlight Ashford's legislative record.

"This is why we are helping Lee Terry and helping the voters get to know who Brad Ashford is because as soon as they see all this stuff and realize what this guy stands for, there's no way they're going to vote for him," Houlton said.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called on the NRCC to take the ad off the air after it was released, accusing Republicans of "playing up racial stereotypes" and "fear-mongering" in order to save Terry. The race between the two candidates has been unexpectedly competitive, in a district former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney won by 7 points in 2012. In television ads, Democrats have been reminding voters of Terry's comments last year when he defended accepting his paycheck during the GOP-induced government shutdown.

On Friday, Ashford's campaign compared the latest ad to another spot Terry's campaign released that links the Democrat to beheadings by the Islamic State, or ISIS.

"Between Congressman Terry's fear mongering on beheadings yesterday and this latest ad today, it's clear that Congressman Terry is fearing for his political life and will say and do anything to keep his $174,000 salary," Ashford's campaign manager, Kurt Gonska, said in a statement Friday. "He's not ready for voters to send him into retirement and back to his 'nice house.'"

Democrats see the district as a rare opportunity to oust a Republican congressional incumbent, given that Terry won his re-election in 2012 by just 2 points.

Charge It To The Game!

The president tries to do normal things with his wife. Somehow even as normal as a declined card, the racist right goes into the ranting and  raving about.

If President Barack Obama had luck on his side. Unemployment would be at 4%, the fuel prices will sink to $1.99 a gallon, the Democrats would be able to pass legislation in a super majority Congress.

Alas, it's not happening. For you see the Republicans, the party of White people has managed to take the message war into their grasps. They can use the junk food media to promote their agenda and send the spineless lily-liver Democrats back to the minority.

For you see the news only gets worse for an already lame duck president.

Apparently the president and First Lady Michelle Obama went out to eat. Of course, he paid for his order using his charge card. CBS New York reports that Obama's credit card was declined last month while dining in New York,

President Barack Obama wondered if he had become a victim of identity theft.

“It turned out, I guess I don’t use it enough,” Obama said Friday at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

“They thought there was some fraud going on,” he said, chatting while announcing a government plan to tighten security for debit cards that transfer federal benefits like Social Security to millions of Americans.

“I was trying to explain to the waitress ‘No, I really think that I've been paying my bills.”’

Fortunately first lady Michelle Obama was able to whip out a credit card they could use.

Employees at Estela, the New York restaurant where Obama dined on Sept. 24 while attending the U.N. General Assembly, said they couldn't discuss the credit card issue, the Associated Press reported.

Photos of the president’s order had been posted on the restaurant’s Instagram page but have since been taken down. The food blog, Epicurious, captured the images and detailed the order in a Sept. 25 post, saying the first couple ate “two orders of endive salad and burrata with salsa verde, tomatoes, and salt cod croquettes.”

Identity theft is a growing problem and an estimated 100 million people have been affected by security breaches in the past year at retailers like Target and Home Depot.

“Even I’m affected by this,” he said.

Last Friday, Kmart became the latest retailer to announce a data breach in its payment systems.

A day earlier, Dairy Queen announced that 395 of its locations – including several in the Tri-State Area, had been affected by a data breach that left credit and debit card numbers vulnerable.

A week earlier, JPMorgan Chase & Co. said a data breach affected 76 million households and 7 million small businesses that use its banking services.

Last month, Home Depot confirmed that 56 million credit and debit cards were likely affected by a data breach the breach between April and September at stores in the U.S. and Canada. The breach amounted to the second largest for a retailer on record.

In December of last year, Target Corp. disclosed that about 40 million credit and debit cards may have been affected by the data breach that happened between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, just as the holiday shopping season was shifting into high gear.

The UPS Store, Michaels, SuperValu, P.F. Chang’s restaurants, and Neiman Marcus have also been affected by data breaches this year.

Obama signed an executive order Friday creating a new plan called BuySecure. Cards issued by the federal government will now have an internal chip replacing magnetic strips to reduce the potential for fraud.

In addition, the government will apply the security chips and personal identification numbers, called PINS, that replace signatures to all existing and newly issued government credit cards, Obama said. Payment terminals at federal government facilities will be equipped to handle cards with the new technology.

Obama’s executive order also calls for the government to take new measures to help victims of identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission will develop a new website for consumers to report identity theft and remedy errors with credit reporting.

And Obama called on Congress to enact a single national standard for retailers to notify consumers of data breaches, to replace a patchwork of state laws. Proposals have languished in Congress.

Obama noted that Home Depot Inc., Target Corp., Walgreen Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plan to install payment terminals in their stores equipped to handle cards with digital security chips and PINS.
The racist right is so obsessed with the president.
Obama also cited a plan by American Express Co. to support small businesses that upgrade their payment terminals with more secure standards, and a program by payments processor Visa Inc. to inform consumers and merchants about the new technologies.

In the wake of the massive data breaches, banks and retailers have sped the adoption of digital chips for credit and debit cards. They've set a deadline of October 2015 for wide use of chips in cards and payment terminals.

Even in honest taste, the issue is serious. The president isn't immune to credit card theft. However, the president also will have skeptics who criticize his every move.

Saying this actually happened will be the first thing that comes out of one of the commentators on the racist right. They'll use the old "Well he's already blown the country's money down the drain" narrative.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Raven-Symoné: I'm American And Proud!

Younger Raven-Symoné.

Last year the actress made the news when she made her "outing".

Now the entertainer Raven-Symoné wants to tell the world that she identifies herself as American first, everything else last.

That got the junk food media's attention.

When talking the queen of daytime Oprah Winfrey, the actress addressed her heritage and her possible roots tracing back to the earlier times.

"I'm tired of being labeled, I'm an American. I'm not an African-American; I'm an American."

Also Oprah asked the actress about her dating life. Well of course, she admitted that she's dating a woman but doesn't want to be labeled a "lesbian".

"I don't want to be labeled gay, I want to be a human who loves humans."

Some didn't take kind to the words










And of course the entertainer slams her critics. She said that "Of course, she's Black". She doesn't want the world to see her as this "BLACK" entertainer who happens to be a "LESBIAN".

A mild controversy for the former Disney star.

What's your opinion on this?



  Raven-Symone -- I Have a Girlfriend ... But Don't Call Me 'Gay' OR 'African American'
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Melissa Harris-Perry: [Blacks] Fear The Police More Than Ebola And ISIS!

I don't fear an illness or a terrorist. I fear the Boys in Blue whenever they kill another unarmed citizen.

The controversial weekend agitator makes her stand on two controversies I've chose to avoid.

Melissa Harris-Perry is no stranger to controversy. The Tulane University cultural professor and Obama News agitator has attracted the racist right's attention once again. She invokes Ferguson and Beavercreek in her statement to the overwhelming coverage of these two controversies.

As an avid supporter of women's rights and the Black experience, she makes it clear, that she fears only one thing in this world: "A Trigger Happy Police Officer!"

 “I feel much more terror every time I see blue lights than when I think about Ebola or ISIS. It feels to me…please God don’t make me have to interact here. These videos feel like there’s nothing that makes you safe.”

Of course her competition over at Loserville and the racist right grabbed that bone. Immediately Jim Hoft of The Puke On Gateway took offense to the MHP's freedom of speech. He called her an idiot.

And of course, you have the Black righties thinking that Obama News is the undisputed champion of race baiting.

Me personally, I somewhat agree with her. I don't worry about illness or an extremist group.

I don't fear death by a disease of a callous murderer masquerading as a martyr.
Thomas Eric Duncan died of Ebola this month in the United States
I understand that we're in the junk food media's epic dramas which is the Islamic State and Ebola crisis. These issues have been front and center for the embattled President Barack Obama.

The conservative agitators are hoping the Republicans win back control of Congress on the merits of the issues with Islamic State, Ebola and the rioting by Ferguson, Missouri residents.

On the issue of Ebola, there's a man from Liberia who traveled to the United States to meet his fiance. He had the contiguous virus and was diagnosed after a few days.

He was in the hospital at first, but they've sent him home after believing it's a mild illness.

Thomas Eric Duncan died on October 8 after doctors failed to treat his Ebola infection.

Duncan, who had been visiting family in Dallas, was treated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.  By October 4, Duncan's condition had deteriorated from "serious but stable" to "critical."

On October 8, Duncan died of Ebola virus disease.

Two health care workers became infected with Ebola virus, 26-year-old nurse Nina Pham and 29-year-old nurse Amber Vinson, both of whom had taken care of him at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

Duncan was from Monrovia, Liberia, a country among those hardest hit by the Ebola virus epidemic. Duncan worked as a personal driver for the general manager of Safeway Cargo, a FedEx contractor in Liberia.

According to manager Henry Brunson, Duncan abruptly quit his job on September 4, 2014, giving no reason. Brunson added he knew Duncan had family in the United States, and that Duncan's sister had come from the U.S. to visit him in the weeks before he quit.

Duncan was traveling on a visa when he made his first trip to the U.S. to reunite with his estranged teenage son and the boy's mother, Louise Troh, who had been his girlfriend in Liberia.
Two American women doing their jobs as health care professionals caught the virus.
The two young women who were infect were Nina Pham, a young Asian American woman and Amber Vinson, a young African American woman.

The agitators released these names to very strong criticism of the nurses and the man who traveled to the United States with the virus.

Rest assured that these young women and that man gotten death threats due to the agitators releasing their names.

We here at Journal de la Reyna send our condolences to Thomas Eric Duncan, the families who were lost in the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, Senegal, Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea, and Spain.

We wish well recovery to all those infected by this dangerous disease. That includes those who weren't named, Nina Pham and Amber Vinson.



______________________________

Ratface Mark Levin takes his got to be grumpy old asshole pill.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Early Voting!



It begins again. The opportunity to make your voice be heard began on October 5.

The state of Ohio advocates early voting for this U.S. Midterm election. Are you going to vote?

It's really important.

Seriously, it's important.

These elections are very important for the determination of who controls state governorships and federal office.

There's about 36 governorships on the line and Republicans have a big stake in the elections.

The Democrats have a razor thin majority in the U.S, Senate and there's 33 senate seats up for this election with the majority being in the South. All 435 congressional seats along with the four delegates from the U.S. territories are up for reelection. The Resident Commissioner for Puerto Rico (an elected U.S. Representative who serves four years) will be up in 2016.

Republicans have a chance to take back the U.S. Senate and win full control of Congress.

The Democrats may have a chance to unseat unpopular Republican governors. It's matter up to you to change the demographics.

Of course, I want you to know that you have to be 18 to vote. You have to have a valid identification.

You have to make sure you know where you local polling station is?

Ex-felons are allowed to vote in Ohio. You must register to vote.

I know the talk and quite frankly, I don't want to hear it. I want you to know that a vote can change the dynamics of this country.

My ancestors fought and died for the right to vote. I don't want to disappoint my family by not turning out to vote.

Missouri Republican Wants Coup D'état On Obama!

Oh I was just kidding. I don't believe our military will do a coup d'état on the president.

The racist right is pleased to get their supporters out to vote. The Republican Party is happy that their allies in the racist right are motivated to kicking out the embattled Democrats.

The Democrats and Republicans both suck. So far the enthusiasm is good for the GOP.  They been dominating the television and radio with ads targeting candidates who want to unseat them.

Alison Lundergan Grimes imploded after saying being questioned about voting for President Barack Obama. She was the strongest candidate to take on that corrupt Senate majority leader. However when it comes to dirty politics, Republican Mitch McConnell got it on lock.

Over in the neighboring state of Missouri, Republican official Debbie Dunnegan Waters is so frustrated with the president and those rabble rousers in Ferguson, she goes to the social networks to complain about our military not taking the time to travel to the White House and do some old fashion usurping.

The social networks can make or break you. Especially in an election year.

Republicans are on pins and needles right now. They know they suck. They know that every ignorant candidate that runs for the office could implode their chances to take back the senate.

They still have this infighting with the insurgency and the agitators of the junk food media.

How can they win back voters without being called the party that supports only WHITE FOLKS?

Here's what someone caught Dunnegan-Waters doing.




What could happen if the Secret Service was notified about this?

Obviously the scandal plagued federal agency needs to handle this stuff!

Debbie Dunnegan Waters, a Republican serving as Jefferson County Recorder of Deeds, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch she had "no ill intent toward the president" when she asked why the military hasn't "taken action against our domestic enemy," who she identified as "supposedly the commander in chief."

Enter the non-apology:

“I just wanted to know what oath (the military) took,” Dunnegan told St. Louis Public Radio in a telephone interview. “I'm not calling the president a domestic enemy. I’m not calling the president anything. He is the president. Do I agree with what the president is doing? Absolutely not. Anybody that asks me, I’ll be happy to tell you that.”

This is the party inspired to take back Congress. The party that has this idiot and many like her hoping that the country's first Black president is either killed by the military he controls.

This is the extremism you'll be seeing if the Republicans take back control of Congress.

It's important to vote.




Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Protesters Crash The Beavercreek Cop Shop!

A protester at Walmart. The Beavercreek Walmart has gotten some national attention after a Beavercreek officer shot and killed a shopper who he thought was an active shooter.

Protesters were stationed at the Beavercreek, Ohio police department over the weekend. Also the junk food media releases the audio recordings of Sean Williams, the officer who shot and killed John Crawford III.

It was a peaceful rally. Some were arrested for impeding the safety of residents. Of course this is what democracy looks like.

In August 2014, Crawford was shopping at Walmart. He was on the phone when he picked up an air rifle that was out of its case. Ronald Ritchie was the individual who called the law with the claim that the gentleman was pointing that at customers.

Beavercreek Officer Sean Williams and Sergeant David Darkow quickly arrived at the Walmart.

The officers observed Crawford down in the pet food aisle with the air rifle. Williams and Darkow claim that they gave Crawford the order to put down his firearm. Crawford was on the phone talking to his ex-girlfriend. Within a few seconds, Williams fires upon Crawford. Crawford was shocked and dropped. After he got up Williams fired again and Crawford dropped.
Don't shoot campaign comes to Beavercreek. Protesters camp outside of the suburb's police headquarters.
According to Crawford's girlfriend, he was crying saying that why did you shoot me?

Crawford would die on his way to the hospital. Customer Angie Williams would die after being shocked by the outcome of events.

The Ohio grand jury found that the officer who fired on Crawford was not guilty. The officials said that the video showed that Crawford was minding his business and wasn't causing a panic.

The U.S. Justice Department is now looking into criminal actions against officer Williams.

The internet activist group Anonymous also released a video. They demand Beavercreek city officials fire the officer. They want Ronald Ritchie to be indicted for causing a panic. And they want the city of Beavercreek to apologize publicly to the family of John Crawford.

These are the latest developments in this ongoing story. We here at Journal de la Reyna will keep you informed about the situation.


Shawn James, Black Freelance Writer: Why Black women DON’T Need Feminism

Shawn James, Black Freelance Writer: Why Black women DON’T Need Feminism

Monday, October 13, 2014

Digging The Grave: Oklahoma Man Buries Obama!

article image
Gravely!

The state of Oklahoma is solid red. There's no chance that a Democrat could win a seat in a deeply conservative, energy rich and cattle fed state. Besides Texas, the state of Oklahoma has a high uninsured rate.

Because the good folks in Oklahoma City are spooking their residents into thinking that Obamacare is an evil being sent from the depths of hell to destroy the very lives of White America.

That's probably why when Republicans can feel giddy is the recent polls and political forecasts.

For you see, Republicans could win back the Senate therefore having complete control of Congress.

And with that complete control of Congress, they will be more actively opposing President Barack Obama. Even threats of impeachment could happen once again.

Anyway here's the run down. I looked at my social networking profile and saw an article from Opposing Views. That told of a woman's concerns that her neighbor's freedom of speech masquerading as a Halloween display has gone too far.

Jamilla Phillips of Edmond says she was shocked to see the Obama tombstone in her neighbor’s yard as part of his Halloween display. The tombstone features President Barack Obama’s name with a question mark where his date of birth should be.

“I was absolutely offended,” said Phillips, who is new to the neighborhood, to KOCO News. “He is the president of the United States, and it actually is about respect. It’s a total respect thing because this person is still alive.”

Dwayne Dockens, who made the tombstone, says it has been featured in his yard for the last three years and he has never gotten any complaints about it. He claims he made it a few years ago when the issue of the president’s birth certificate was a hot topic.

“And we made all these ourselves, so just thought it was kind of humorous and, you know, went ahead and put him in there as well,” said Dockens.

Dockens says his intention wasn’t to offend anybody, but he still isn’t sure that he’s willing to take it down.

Phillips worries that the tombstone is sending a bad message to children.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

We Demand Justice For Michael Brown!

Caption this: A group of unarmed protesters versus police officers in riot gear. What's wrong with this picture?

It's amazing that those 17 protesters were arrested for just disobeying. Yet, Darren Wilson is still a free man after plugging six in the body of unarmed teen Michael Brown. 

Don't get me wrong, the protesters are showing the world what democracy looks like.

The Associated Press reports that protesters were arrested during weekend protests, St. Louis police said Sunday, and more demonstrations were planned over the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson this summer.

Organizers of the four-day Ferguson October summit are protesting the shooting of the black man by a white policeman, which sparked sometimes violent demonstrations in the predominantly black St. Louis suburb of Ferguson in August.

Early Sunday morning, several protesters made their way to the south St. Louis neighborhood where another black 18-year-old was killed by a white police officer recently. Protesters occupied a Quicktrip gas station convenience store and staged a sit-in.

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson posted on Twitter that protesters were "attempting to storm" the business. He later posted that protesters were "throwing rocks at the police."

St. Louis police spokeswoman Schron Jackson said Sunday in an email that 17 people were arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly. There were no reports of injuries or property damage, the email said.

On Monday, a "direct action" led by local and visiting clergy members is planned for Ferguson and other spots in and around St. Louis. Protest leaders don't plan to release details until shortly ahead of time to avoid tipping off law enforcement. Leaders are taking their cues from the Moral Monday demonstrations that began last year in North Carolina before spreading to several other Southern states.

Outside Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis, where the Cardinals were playing the San Francisco Giants this weekend in the National League Championship Series of professional baseball, several dozen protesters stood on the sidewalk Saturday night, chanting and holding signs. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that fans headed to the game mainly went around the protesters without stopping to look, though a few cheered their efforts. Game 2 in the series is scheduled for Sunday night.

The planned events began Friday afternoon with a march outside the St. Louis County prosecutor's office, where protesters renewed calls for prosecutor Bob McCulloch to charge Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson officer, in the Aug. 9 death of Brown. A grand jury is reviewing the case and the Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation.
Protesters target QuikTrip on South Vandeventer
Protesters for Michael Brown, John Crawford, 
Since Brown's death, three other fatal police shootings of black males have occurred in the St. Louis area. The most recent involved an off-duty St. Louis officer who was working for a private neighborhood security patrol when he shot and killed 18-year-old Vonderrit D. Myers on Wednesday night.

The white officer, whose name hasn't been released, fired 17 rounds after police say Myers opened fire. Myers' parents say he was unarmed, and many speakers at the Saturday rally echoed those doubts.

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