Tea Party Activists Hold Protest Rally at West County IRS Office

Activists meet around noon today at the office in Town and Country, located off Route 141 near Chesterfield.

Tea Party activists descended on an IRS office in west St. Louis County today to protest the scandal that has engulfed the agency. The protest came as hearings were held in Washington D.C. about the scandal in which the IRS targeted the tax exemption applications of Tea Party-affiliated groups for extra scrutiny. According to a report from Patch partner Fox 2, the group staged their demonstration at noon at an IRS office on Town and Country Commons Drive, near the Charter Communications building. The area is located off Highway 141 just east of Chesterfield. Several Tea Party groups in St. Louis have been posting about the event online and on Twitter, including pictures of today’s event. The IRS has formally apologized for the scandal, …

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St. Louis County Reportedly Considers Funeral Protest Ban

The ban would be similar to the those passed by other St. Louis area cities, including Manchester.

St. Louis County Reportedly Considers Funeral Protest Ban

The ban would be similar to the those passed by other St. Louis area cities, including Manchester.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis County Councilman Steve Stenger, D-Affton, wants to pass legislation that would restrict funeral protests. (Read Previous Story: Appeals Court Rules Manchester Can Restrict Funeral Protests) Stenger wants legislation that would mirror Creve Coeur's city ordinance which was passed this week by the city council, the Post reports. Creve Coeur and Clayton have both recently passed ordinances similar to Manchester's city ordinance which prohibits protests within 300 feet of a funeral one hour before and one hour after services. Manchester's ordinance was put in place in response to protests like those by Westboro Baptist Church where members are known for anti-gay protests at the funerals of U…

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Westboro Baptist Church Holds Weekend Protest in Manchester

A handful of Westboro Baptist Church members, including children, held a brief protest in Manchester. The gathering was in reaction to an appeals court ruling that allows the city to restrict protests a funerals.

Westboro Baptist Church Protests Court's Manchester Funeral Protest Ruling

A few Westboro Baptist Church members, known for their anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. soldiers, protested an appeals court ruling in Manchester Saturday. Police and local residents were also on hand.

Saturday, a handful of Wesboro Baptist Church members protested an appeals court ruling that was handed down Tuesday. As previously reported by Patch, an appeals court ruled this week in favor of the City of Manchester in regard to a lawsuit filed by Wesboro Baptist Church members challenging Manchester's funeral protest ordinance. The ordinance prohibits protests within 300 feet of a funeral one hour before and one hour after services. (Read Previous Story: Appeals Court Rules Manchester Can Restrict Funeral Protests) Westboro church members are known for their anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. soldiers, claiming the soldiers' deaths are a result of America's tolerance for homosexuality.  Along with the handful of church members …

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Westboro Baptist Church Plans Manchester Protest Saturday

Members of the Wesboro Baptist Church plan to protest in "Manchester Park" Saturday afternoon.

The protest follows an appeals court ruling this week in favor of the City of Manchester in regard to a lawsuit filed by Wesboro Baptist Church members challenging Manchester's funeral protest ordinance. The ordinance prohibits protests within 300 feet of a funeral one hour before and one hour after services. Westboro church members are known for their anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. soldiers, claiming the soldiers' deaths are a result of America's tolerance for homosexuality. They regularly picket military funerals with signs such as "thank God for dead soldiers."  According to Westboro's website, church members plan to protest from 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., Saturday at Manchester Park. It's unclear what Westboro is calling "…

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Protesters Denounce Akin for Stance on Women's Health

Voters lined a Kirkwood street Monday afternoon to express their distate for the U.S. Senate candidate and local representative.

From a birth control costume to a sign that read "Voting Vagina," it was pretty clear why participants of a voters' rally outside a Todd Akin fundraiser Monday in Kirkwood thought the U.S. Senate candidate was the wrong man for the job. "It's disgusting we have a congressman who doesn't understand science," said LaDonna Appelbaum, of Creve Couer. "We need women making decisions for women, not men."  (Sign up here for the FREE Patch Newsletter, including Breaking News Alerts.) Protesters lined the street of South Kirkwood Road outside Woodbine Center near Trattoria Branica where Akin was holding a fundraising event after a press conference at the Kirkwood Train Station.  Many protesters wore pink Planned Parenthood T-shirts. The St. Louis …

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Occupy The Midwest Plans Four Non-Violent Actions in St. Louis

Eighteen Occupy groups around the Midwest have endorsed the St. Louis-based convention, where organizers will share ideas and protest big businesses.

The Occupy Movement is set to converge on St. Louis this St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Representatives from Occupy St. Louis, Occupy Chicago and other regional Occupy groups will hold an Occupy The Midwest convention Thursday through Sunday. The event will include non-violent actions, meetings and workshops. Occupy Chicago’s Rachael Perrotta said the Occupy The Midwest regional convention had its roots in St. Louis, when area organizers suggested protesters should share skills, participate in actions and create a communication infrastructure to take the movement to a new level. Perrotta said the convention’s date marks the six month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. Return to Kiener Occupy The Midwest kicked-off its convention Wednesday with…

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UPDATE: Christian Group Closes Al-Salam Muslim Day School

The Al-Salam Day School off Weidman Road canceled classes Friday after a Christian group informed police of plans to issue handouts during Friday's prayer services.

Editor's Note: This article was last updated at 2:52 p.m. The Muslim Al Salam Day School off Weidman Road is closed Friday due to a Christian group's promise to tout Christianity at the location, school officials said. A letter, that reads as follows, was sent home to parents telling them there was no school on Friday. "Earlier this week we had informed members and parents of the community about a protest that will be taking place outside of the Islamic Foundation Property tomorrow. Due to the overwhelming incoming of increasing safety concerns from parents and teachers, we have decided to cancel school and after school activities for tomorrow, Friday, March 9.  Ghazala Hayat with the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis tells Patch …

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Ellisville Resident 1

2:10 pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2012

I had to nod my head yes when I read this line, ""Actually we're sending officers out there because of the media attention. The group contacted us. They said they're going to be handing out literature and we're not going to do anything but be there on stand-by," Eckhard explained." Isn't it the over-zelous opportunist media that always tries to turn peaceful demonstrations into chaos for the sake…   more ›

Manchester Funeral Protest Lawsuit Back in Court Monday

An appeals court is set to re-hear the case of Phelps v. the City of Manchester which involves the protest of Westboro Baptist Church at soldiers' funerals.

An appeals court accepted the City of Manchester’s petition to re-hear the case Phelps v. the City of Manchester. The Westboro Baptists Church and ACLU sued Manchester over a city ordinance restricting protests or pickets at funerals. The church regularly pickets funerals of dead American soldiers, claiming the death of soldiers is a punishment for America's tolerance of gay rights. In October, a three-judge panel ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church and the ACLU, arguing Manchester’s ordinance violated the church’s first amendment rights. However, in November, the City of Manchester, filed a petition for rehearing “en banc," asking for the entire Eighth District Court of Appeals bench of judges to hear the case rather than the …

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