Don Lemon arrested on federal civil rights charges after Minnesota church protest
Journalist Don Lemon and three others were arrested in connection with a January protest that disrupted services at a St. Paul church, federal officials say.
Copy link
By Torontoer Staff
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested Thursday in Los Angeles and charged with federal civil rights offences tied to a protest that disrupted a January service at Cities Church in St. Paul, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday. The charges include conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers.
Federal officials said three other people were arrested in connection with the same incident. The arrests follow a Justice Department civil rights investigation into a protest that targeted a church where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as a pastor.
Charges and arrests
Lemon was taken into custody in Los Angeles, where he had been covering the Grammy Awards, his attorney Abbe Lowell said. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi posted on social media that federal agents arrested Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy "in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota."
Lowell said Lemon was acting as a journalist at the protest. "Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done," Lowell said, adding that the First Amendment protects journalists who document public events and hold power to account.
What happened at Cities Church
On Jan. 18, a group of protesters entered Cities Church during a service and chanted slogans including "ICE out" and "Justice for Renee Good." The demonstration targeted the church in part because one of its pastors, David Easterwood, leads ICE's St. Paul field office. Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this year, prompting local protests.
Prosecutors say the interruption of the service violated worshippers' First Amendment rights and have pursued federal civil rights charges against several people who participated in the protest.
Journalists, livestreaming and press freedom concerns
Georgia Fort, an independent journalist who livestreamed moments before her arrest, said federal agents were arresting her for filming the church protest. "I don’t feel like I have my First Amendment right as a member of the press because now the federal agents are at my door arresting me for filming the church protest a few weeks ago," Fort said on Facebook Live.
I don’t feel like I have my First Amendment right as a member of the press because now the federal agents are at my door arresting me for filming the church protest a few weeks ago.
Georgia Fort
Lemon, who was dismissed from CNN in 2023 and now produces independent content online, repeatedly said on his livestream from the church that he was there as a journalist and not an activist. A magistrate judge rejected an initial bid by prosecutors to charge Lemon, but federal officials renewed their effort this week.
Here I am. Keep trying. That’s not going to stop me from being a journalist. That’s not going to diminish my voice.
Don Lemon
News organisations and press freedom groups criticised the arrests. The National Association of Black Journalists called Lemon’s arrest "outraged and deeply alarmed," and Poynter Institute senior vice-president Kelly McBride said the actions appeared intended to intimidate journalists documenting opposition to the administration's policies.
The Trump administration was taking a sledge hammer to the knees of the First Amendment.
Rev. Al Sharpton
Protest leaders and earlier prosecutions
Trahern Jeen Crews, a leader with Black Lives Matter Minnesota, has led numerous protests in the region since George Floyd’s killing in 2020. Crews and others have said Black activists are often targeted by law enforcement. Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney who organised actions related to the episode, was arrested earlier in January and remains charged in connection with the protest.
Jordan Kushner, Armstrong’s attorney, described the continued prosecutions as "beyond the pale," arguing that nonviolent protest should not be treated as a federal felony.
Church and government response
Cities Church and its leaders praised the arrests. Lead pastor Jonathan Parnell said the Justice Department's action would protect the church's ability to worship. Attorney General Bondi posted a video emphasizing that under the administration, people have the right to worship freely and safely, and said authorities would act when that right is violated.
Make no mistake. Under President Trump’s leadership and this administration, you have the right to worship freely and safely.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi
Jamael Lundy, one of the arrested, works in intergovernmental affairs for the Hennepin County attorney's office and is married to St. Paul city councillor Anika Bowie. Lundy, a candidate for state senate, was briefly interviewed by Lemon before the protest as demonstrators prepared to travel to the church.
What comes next
The arrests set the stage for legal battles over the line between peaceful protest and federal civil rights violations, and over reporters' rights when covering contentious events. It was not immediately clear whether all of those arrested had retained counsel. The Justice Department said it will continue to provide updates on the investigation and prosecutions.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between federal enforcement of civil rights protections, concerns about press freedom, and community anger over immigration enforcement and policing in Minneapolis. Legal proceedings are expected to continue in the coming weeks.
Don Lemonpress freedomcivil rightsprotestCities Church
