MN - Journalist Don Lemon arrested for church protest, Minneapolis, 18 Jan 2026

[shotgun09]

I don't know if this has been mentioned or not, but was there a Police Report filed by the church? And if so, when?

I do not recall seeing any LE present inside or immediately outside of the church during the videos we have been able to view. Yes, I saw vehicles parked outside, but no LE persons were visible.

 

[witchway]

Code of Ethics, Society of Professional Journalism

Minimize Harm​

Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect.

Journalists should:

• Balance the public’s need for information against potential harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance or undue intrusiveness.

I think this should also be followed by non-credentialed, independent journalists.

SPJ’s Code of Ethics | Society of Professional Journalists

www.spj.org

www.SPJ.org

Your link also has in a big red banner on their landing page

SPJ strongly condemns arrests of journalists covering anti-ICE demonstration in Minnesota​

The Society of Professional Journalists strongly condemns Friday’s arrest of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort in connection with their reporting on a Jan. 18 demonstration at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Click on the text to read what they are saying.

 

[Summerliz03]

The Case Against Don Lemon Is Junk, and Dangerous

If the Cities Church case falls apart, it will not be the first such embarrassment for Trump’s Justice Department.

www.theatlantic.com

Paywalled

Thank you so much for sharing this article, it was a very interesting read. I'm pulling out some of the best quotes.

The indictment itself makes for a strange read. No attorneys other than political appointees appear on the filing—a hint that career Justice Department employees might not have wanted to be involved. The government treats Lemon and Fort as co-conspirators of the protesters without acknowledging any protections afforded by their role as journalists. Both charges derive from the FACE Act, a 1994 law meant to prevent anti-abortion protestors from restricting access to reproductive-health clinics. Here, though, the Justice Department is leveraging a lesser-known portion of the statute that provides similar protections for freedom of religion in places of worship. Kyle Boynton, who recently departed from his position as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division, told me that this provision of the FACE Act has never been used—probably because “it’s plainly unconstitutional” as an overreach of Congress’s authority to legislate under the Commerce Clause. Boynton, who prosecuted FACE Act cases and crimes committed against houses of worship while at the Justice Department, was unimpressed with the legal reasoning in the indictment. “I think it’s very likely to face dismissal,” he said. Not only might courts find the statute unconstitutional, but Lemon and Fort could also contest the charges on First Amendment grounds, and the indictment doesn’t clearly show a FACE violation to begin with.

I think it will all come back to their 1st Amendment rights as journalists and the case will get thrown out during discovery. Constitutional rights outweigh Congress' authority in all cases. All MOO.

 

[keek]

SPJ.org Your link also has in a big red banner on their landing page

SPJ strongly condemns arrests of journalists covering anti-ICE demonstration in Minnesota​

The Society of Professional Journalists strongly condemns Friday’s arrest of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort in connection with their reporting on a Jan. 18 demonstration at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Click on the text to read what they are saying.

Called 'cherry picking', wow. False 'advertising' folks. IMO

 

[SouthAussie]

"Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights legal organization."

"Last night’s actions come after initial efforts to prosecute Lemon were thwarted when a federal magistrate judge rejected the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) attempt to file a criminal complaint against him.

DOJ’s highly unusual attempts to circumvent the magistrate judge’s decision, ignoring routine judicial processes, prompted Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz to send two letters to the federal appeals court, expressing grave concerns and criticisms about DOJ’s actions."

LDF Condemns Arrest of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, Calls on Administration to Protect First Amendment Rights

 

[SouthAussie]

"The man targeted by protesters Sunday is the acting field office director in St. Paul for Enforcement and Removal Operations at ICE. In a declaration filed in this month’s lawsuit by protesters, Easterwood said he has worked for ICE since 2015.

Just days after taking his current position, Easterwood appeared alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a news conference on immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities."

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/19/us/st-paul-minnesota-church-protest-investigation

 

[Sundog]

www.SPJ.org

Your link also has in a big red banner on their landing page

SPJ strongly condemns arrests of journalists covering anti-ICE demonstration in Minnesota​

The Society of Professional Journalists strongly condemns Friday’s arrest of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort in connection with their reporting on a Jan. 18 demonstration at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Click on the text to read what they are saying.

I guess they don't expect credentialed journalists and independent journalists to follow their ethical code. Not surprising these days with what passes for journalism.


moo

 

[Sundog]

"The man targeted by protesters Sunday is the acting field office director in St. Paul for Enforcement and Removal Operations at ICE. In a declaration filed in this month’s lawsuit by protesters, Easterwood said he has worked for ICE since 2015.

Just days after taking his current position, Easterwood appeared alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a news conference on immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities."

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/19/us/st-paul-minnesota-church-protest-investigation

Still not sure what this has to do with this thread which is about DL and company committing crimes against the FACE Act. The Church is a victim of these crimes, not the defendant.

moo

 

[iamshadow21]

Still not sure what this has to do with this thread which is about DL and company committing crimes against the FACE Act. The Church is a victim of these crimes, not the defendant.

moo

Understanding precipitating factors and motivations leading to an event isn't victim blaming.

MOO

 

[keek]

I guess they don't expect credentialed journalists and independent journalists to follow their ethical code. Not surprising these days with what passes for journalism.


moo

It's small, but up in the left hand corner is the entire page to read www.SPJ.org That opens the entire article for you to read the true article. What you posted is part of a list. Their page is entirely pro Don Lemon if you open it. Also freedom of speech for all journalists. It will lend your comment as honest, not cherry picking that one rule as to incite?? You must of opened it to pick out the comment you posted which is obviously an attempt to back up your position against journalists you don't like or suit your thinking about the terrible situation in MN. IMO

 

[HmmMysterious]

I guess they don't expect credentialed journalists and independent journalists to follow their ethical code. Not surprising these days with what passes for journalism.


moo

Yeah look at Faux News, NewsMax, NY Post, and just recently, CBS News thanks to Bari Weiss wanting it to be a mouthpiece for Trump.