Category: Cities church protest
Unsealed indictment against Don Lemon cites his own comments on livestream from ‘takeover’ at church
The allegations against former CNN anchor Don Lemon were unsealed Friday from an indictment over his participation in a protest at a church that terrified churchgoers.
The document, screenshots of which were shared by CNN’s Jake Tapper, sets out the evidence against Lemon and the other defendants in the “takeover” of the Cities Church in St. Paul on Jan. 18 at about 10:30 a.m.
He referred to the experience as ‘traumatic and uncomfortable’ … and admitted that was the purpose of the takeover.
Lemon has claimed that he was in attendance at the incident only as a journalist, but the indictment sets forth evidence that he participated as an aggressor to threaten and intimidate church members and clergy.
“After the service commenced, a group of approximately 20-40 agitators, including all of the defendants named in this Indictment, entered the Church in a coordinated takeover-style attack and engaged in acts of oppression, intimidation, threats, interference, and physical obstruction alleged herein,” prosecutors said.
The indictment said that church leaders were forced to shut down the church service as some congregants fled, but others “took steps to implement an emergency plan.”
Those acts by the defendants deprived the church members of their constitutional right to religious freedom, according to prosecutors.
Lemon was present at a briefing before the incident and began streaming live online on his channel but took steps to conceal information of the plot, livestream video showed.
“We’re going to head to the operation. Again, we’re not going to give any of the information away,” he is quoted as saying in the indictment.
“Don’t give anything away,” he said to one of the other defendants on the livestream. “We can’t say too much. We don’t want to give it up.”
Lemon said to his audience that he saw a “young man” who was “frightened,” “scared,” and “crying.” He referred to the experience as “traumatic and uncomfortable” for those Christians attending the service and admitted that was the purpose of the takeover, according to screenshots of the indictment.
He also questioned the church’s pastor while other defendants “largely surrounded” the pastor in an attempt to “oppress and intimidate him,” the indictment claimed. They “physically obstructed his freedom of movement while Lemon peppered him with questions to promote the operation’s message,” it added.
RELATED: Don Lemon nailed with fierce backlash for ‘trans’ slur against Megyn Kelly
Lemon was arrested by federal agents on Thursday evening, leading to wide condemnation from many on the left who repeated his claims that he was merely acting as a journalist during the incident.
“Don Lemon is an accomplished journalist whose urgent work is protected by the First Amendment. There is zero basis to arrest him and he should be freed immediately,” wrote House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). “The Trump Justice Department is illegitimate and these extremists will all be held accountable for their crimes against the Constitution.”
The charges against Lemon were rejected by a Minnesota federal magistrate judge before he was charged with federal civil rights violations.
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Judge orders release of two church-storming anti-ICE activists
Two of the anti-ICE protesters who stormed a Saint Paul church on Jan. 18 were ordered to be released from custody, according to a statement from the Racial Justice Network.
Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Allen were arrested for their alleged involvement in an activist protest at the Cities Church after identifying a pastor as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
‘Despite aggressive attempts by federal prosecutors to delay and derail the process, the courts stood firm in defense of constitutional rights, due process, and the rule of law.’
Levy Armstong is a civil rights attorney and activist, while Allen is a member of the St. Paul School Board. Both were arrested on Thursday along with a male.
The group claimed that they had been peacefully protesting against ICE and excoriated the Justice Dept. for seeking their prosecution.
“Despite aggressive attempts by federal prosecutors to delay and derail the process, the courts stood firm in defense of constitutional rights, due process, and the rule of law,” their statement reads. “A second judge affirmed the original ruling issued on January 22, confirming that the activists must be released, a decisive rejection of prosecutorial overreach and political intimidation.”
They also posted a video of the arrest of Levy Armstrong.
Critics of the protest have been outraged after a magistrate refused charges against former CNN anchor Don Lemon, despite his being at the protest. He has defended his actions by claiming to have been there as a journalist.
“Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church, and members of the organization,” Lemon said later. “That’s it. That’s called journalism.”
Further outrage ensued when it was discovered that the wife of the magistrate who refused the charges against Lemon is reportedly an assistant attorney general at Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office.
RELATED: Anti-ICE radical who took credit for the invasion of Minnesota church ARRESTED by feds
“Our fight is far from over,” the statement from the Racial Justice Network continued.
“We will continue to organize, mobilize, and litigate until all charges are dropped against all detainees and meaningful accountability is imposed for this blatant abuse of power,” they added. “All power to the people. Justice will not be silenced.”
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