A media titan in handcuffs! Famed journalist Don Lemon has been apprehended by federal agents in a stunning late-night operation in Los Angeles. From the front lines of a chaotic Minnesota church protest to a high-stakes legal showdown with the DOJ, the details of this “coordinated attack” are finally surfacing. WATCH the full report on the arrest that is sending shockwaves through the journalism world!
Two media members covering a rally that disrupted a Sunday service at a house of worship in St. Paul, Minnesota, as well as two more protesters, have been apprehended in connection to the Jan. 18 incident. Former CNN personality Don Lemon, who was documenting immigration enforcement operations in the state before his arrest, is among two reporters arrested, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi verified in a post on X on Jan. 30.
In a social media statement that same day, Lemon’s legal counsel said federal operatives arrested his client on Jan. 29 in Southern California. “Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles last night, where he was covering the Grammy Awards,” a statement posted on Lemon’s Instagram page on Jan. 30 reads. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally shielded work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always performed“. At least seven individuals now confront criminal charges following the Jan. 18 morning demonstration.
Here’s what to understand about the protest, what led up to it and how Lemon is linked.
Where did the church protest take place?
The manifestation occurred on Jan. 18 at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The sanctuary in the city’s Summit Hill neighborhood rests about halfway between downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis.
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A collective of protesters entered Cities Church on Sunday, Jan. 18, claiming that Pastor David Easterwood works as the acting director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s St. Paul Field Office.
St. Paul Police Department representative Nikki Muehlhausen told USA TODAY officers responded to the church, but by the time they arrived, the group of 30 to 40 protesters had moved outside. At the time, Muehlhausen said the department was investigating the protest for disorderly conduct.
Recordings of the protest showed demonstrators chanting “ICE out” and the church’s lead pastor, Jonathan Parnell shouting, “Shame on you, this is the house of God and we are worshipping”. The sanctuary called the protesters “agitators” who “accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat” in a statement posted to X on Jan. 20. The church added that it is considering legal action.
What led up to the church protest?
The protest took place in the wake of the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old American woman killed by a federal immigration officer on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis, and four days after another person was shot and injured by federal authorities there. The Department of Justice said it was examining the protest as a potential violation of the FACE Act, which protects access to religious worship under the First Amendment.
Who was arrested in the church protest?
As of Jan. 30, officials had arrested seven people in connection to the church protest. They are:
- Don Lemon, a journalist and former CNN anchor
- Chauntyll Louisa Allen, a member of the St. Paul Public School board
- William Kelly, an anti-ICE activist and Army veteran
- Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
- Georgia Fort, a journalist
- Trahern Jeen Crews, a political activist
- Jamael Lydell Lundy, a political organizer
According to federal prosecutors and the Department of Homeland Security, some of those detained face criminal charges including conspiracy to deprive rights, in connection with the demonstration. It was not immediately known what charges Lemon faces, but Bondi said he was among additional people arrested “in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church”.
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What did Don Lemon do?
A nearly seven-hour livestream accessible on Lemon’s YouTube channel shows Lemon was one of several journalists in attendance at the protest, where he conversed with congregation members, protesters and one of the church’s pastors. A federal magistrate judge last week rebuffed a proposed criminal complaint from the Department of Justice against Lemon connected to the protest, multiple outlets reported, citing unidentified sources.
