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

[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]

"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

 

[Sillybilly]

I agree, and I think a real reporter would know the FACE Act and if they received a tip of a "scoop" then they would be there to film when the protesters arrived and then film them when they exited the church and would also be interviewing church members as they left the church to learn their point of view of what took place inside. They would not enter the church with a group of agitators during a worship service, their are ethical journalists and others who are not so ethical.

A quick Wicki shows that he graduated at 30 y.o. with a degree in broadcast journalism, and afterward had many stints with major media outlets through the years, and more recently spent 16 / 17 years with CNN.

IMO Don Lemon is more than qualified as a "real reporter".

(Sorry if I am weighing in a bit late on this)

 

[ab01]

A quick Wicki shows that he graduated at 30 y.o. with a degree in broadcast journalism, and afterward had many stints with major media outlets through the years, and more recently spent 16 / 17 years with CNN.

IMO Don Lemon is more than qualified as a "real reporter".

(Sorry if I am weighing in a bit late on this)

Qualified as a journalist and should be well aware of where to draw the line. He smashed that line imo and he's likely going to pay for the consequences of his actions, as he should. A place of worship shouldn't be political theater. If one feels so strongly about a cause there are much better ways to display that than in a place of worship. There is a reason why it's never happened until now, bc any respected journalist knows how sacred religion is in this country. In my 40 plus yrs i've never once considered a scene like this in my place of worship. And I hope it doesn't become acceptable. As far as a white nationalist congregation, I would hope websleuths would demand a better source than a link that talks in generalities bc the link thats been shared paints a pretty murky picture that reads like an opinion piece with no actual proof that the particular congregation was white nationalist other than it was a mostly white congregation. All moo

 

[tricia]

"ab01 saidAs far as a white nationalist congregation, I would hope websleuths would demand a better source than a link that talks in generalities bc the link thats been shared paints a pretty murky picture that reads like an opinion piece with no actual proof that the particular congregation was white nationalist other than it was a mostly white congregation. All moo"​

I’m seeing a lot of claims that Cities Church is a white nationalist church, but I’m not seeing proof to support that.
When I think of white nationalist churches, I think of groups like Westboro—organizations that openly promote hateful ideology. I have not seen mainstream, reputable reporting that places Cities Church in that category.
I’m aware of the pastor’s connection to ICE, and I do wonder how many parishioners were surprised to learn about that. However, criticism of one individual does not automatically justify labeling an entire church.
While I am deeply troubled by the arrest of Don Lemon, that does not mean we should allow accusations against an entire congregation without evidence.
If any member has mainstream, fact-based sources (not opinion pieces) showing that Cities Church is a white nationalist church, please post them.
Thank you.