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

[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.

 

[Friday Fan]

"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.

I was just thinking of Westboro, not because they're a church, but because they protest churches (funerals in particular) with hate speech. Supreme Court ruled they could do that. And yes, they interfere with funerals. One father sued them. He won a huge settlement. The SCOTUS took his settlement away because of the First Amendment.

Someone mentioned that harrassing and heckling parishioners outside the church was interference. Not according to SCOTUS.

Snyder v. Phelps - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[SouthAussie]

"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.

Because White Christian Nationalist churches don't say they are White Christian Nationalist churches, first there would need to be an exploratory conversation about what White Christian Nationalism is. And then compare that with the stated beliefs of the Cities Church founders and lead pastor.

Understanding White Christian Nationalism

And even then, there would be great debate about the nuances.
But, as we have have linked, there are many published opinions from people who have done the research.

In general, Cities Church is:

- Against a woman's right to choose. The protest happened on Sanctity of Life Sunday for SBC, for example. (Link)

- Lumps homosexuality in with bestiality and incest ... Any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, or any attempt to change or disagree with one’s biological sex is sinful and offensive to God. (Statement on their website)

- Their lead pastor (as per their website), Jonathan Parnell, has stated that the pope is an idiot (Link) because of this ... Pope criticizes Harris and Trump, tells US Catholics to choose ‘lesser evil’ (both things happened on the same day, read what the criticisms were)

- A whole bunch of articles written by Jonathan Parnell, for more reference (Link... Jonathan Parnell is the lead pastor of Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he lives with his wife, Melissa, and their eight children.)

- Is affiliated with the SBC. Cities Church was planted by Parnell in 2015 .. Through the SBC’s North American Mission Board, church leaders declined a request for an interview. (Link)

- In 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention addressed its pro-slavery origins, drafting a resolution publicly apologizing to all African-Americans and repenting for the convention’s “[conscious] and unconscious” racism throughout its 150-year existence. (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)


I could link more and more and more, to pull the research together. But I have tried to show the 'values' of the lead Cities Church pastor, and we already know the values of ICE Field Office Director/Cities Church pastor, David Easterwood. I haven't yet researched the other 6 pastors of that church.

Another example: research on one of Cities Church founders Joe Rigney - but I suspect you are looking for a quick link that clearly states Cities Church's white nationalist belief system by someone of authority - which I think has been provided by the published opinions.

imo


(@tricia if you need to delete this post, if it upsets some, please appreciate the time it took for me to get the links together to try to give you an answer! )

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Because White Christian Nationalist churches don't say they are White Christian Nationalist churches, first there would need to be an exploratory conversation about what White Christian Nationalism is. And then compare that with the stated beliefs of the Cities Church founders and lead pastor.

Understanding White Christian Nationalism

And even then, there would be great debate about the nuances.
But, as we have have linked, there are many published opinions from people who have done the research.

In general, Cities Church is:

- Against a woman's right to choose. The protest happened on Sanctity of Life Sunday for SBC, for example. (Link)

- Lumps homosexuality in with bestiality and incest ... Any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, or any attempt to change or disagree with one’s biological sex is sinful and offensive to God. (Statement on their website)

- Their lead pastor (as per their website), Jonathan Parnell, has stated that the pope is an idiot (Link) because of this ... Pope criticizes Harris and Trump, tells US Catholics to choose ‘lesser evil’ (both things happened on the same day, read what the criticisms were)

- A whole bunch of articles written by Jonathan Parnell, for more reference (Link... Jonathan Parnell is the lead pastor of Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he lives with his wife, Melissa, and their eight children.)

- Is affiliated with the SBC. Cities Church was planted by Parnell in 2015 .. Through the SBC’s North American Mission Board, church leaders declined a request for an interview. (Link)

- In 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention addressed its pro-slavery origins, drafting a resolution publicly apologizing to all African-Americans and repenting for the convention’s “[conscious] and unconscious” racism throughout its 150-year existence. (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)


I could link more and more and more, to pull the research together.
Example, research on one of Cities Church founders Joe Rigney - but I suspect you are looking for a quick link that clearly states Cities Church's white nationalist belief system by someone of authority - which I think has been provided by the published opinions.

imo


(@tricia if you need to delete this post, if it upsets some, please appreciate the time it took for me to get the links together to try to give you an answer! )

NPR did a whole podcast series about an affiliated church in Moscow, Idaho, called Extemely American: Onward Christian Soldiers, examining its bigotry.

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510381/extremely-american

Joe Rigney, founding pastor of Cities Church, is on staff in the Idaho church too.

Leadership & Staff - Christ Church

ELDER SESSION DEACON BOARD Our Staff

christkirk.com

Rigney, a conservative Calvinist pastor who believes empathy is a sin, helped start Cities Church 11 years ago. He now lives in Idaho, where he serves as associate pastor at Christ Church, a congregation led by Doug Wilson. Cities Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Rigney defends Cities Church as 'normal' – Baptist News Global

A protest last Sunday at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., is symptomatic of a spiritual sickness in American society, Joe Rigney said.

baptistnews.com

 

[SouthAussie]

NPR did a whole podcast series about an affiliated church in Moscow, Idaho, called Extemely American: Onward Christian Soldiers, examining its bigotry.

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510381/extremely-american

Joe Rigney, founding pastor of Cities Church, is on staff in the Idaho church too.

Leadership & Staff - Christ Church

ELDER SESSION DEACON BOARD Our Staff

christkirk.com

Rigney, a conservative Calvinist pastor who believes empathy is a sin, helped start Cities Church 11 years ago. He now lives in Idaho, where he serves as associate pastor at Christ Church, a congregation led by Doug Wilson. Cities Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Rigney defends Cities Church as 'normal' – Baptist News Global

A protest last Sunday at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., is symptomatic of a spiritual sickness in American society, Joe Rigney said.

baptistnews.com

And I think that Rigney might commute and holds two church positions.


On X on Monday, Rigney called himself a founding pastor of Cities Church. He is now a pastor at Christ Church DC, where Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends, a congregation “which faces weekly protests by vile leftwing activists.”

Cities Church Considers Legal Options After Sunday Protest - MinistryWatch

Leaders of Cities Church, the Minneapolis congregation whose worship service was disrupted by anti-ICE protesters, are considering legal action against the activists.

ministrywatch.com

 

[Hexe]

He was there because he was part of the group of protestors.
That's the only way he'd know where to be and what time to be there.

Since the earliest days of the press journalists had informants. That's a part of the job. Always was.

MOO

 

[CrimeDawg123]

NPR did a whole podcast series about an affiliated church in Moscow, Idaho, called Extemely American: Onward Christian Soldiers, examining its bigotry.

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510381/extremely-american

Joe Rigney, founding pastor of Cities Church, is on staff in the Idaho church too.

Leadership & Staff - Christ Church

ELDER SESSION DEACON BOARD Our Staff

christkirk.com

Rigney, a conservative Calvinist pastor who believes empathy is a sin, helped start Cities Church 11 years ago. He now lives in Idaho, where he serves as associate pastor at Christ Church, a congregation led by Doug Wilson. Cities Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Rigney defends Cities Church as 'normal' – Baptist News Global

A protest last Sunday at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., is symptomatic of a spiritual sickness in American society, Joe Rigney said.

baptistnews.com

Yes, a key figure here is most definitely Doug Wilson. He has been written about extensively and does not hesitate to talk about his Christian Nationalist beliefs, as he does in this interview below (gift link). The relationship between Rigney and Wilson is well documented.

An excerpt from the Wilson interview below. I encourage you to watch to the whole thing:

Douthat: So talk about the political project that comes out of this. The phrase “Christian nationalism” gets thrown around a lot these days. And you have been willing to take full ownership of the phrase.

Wilson: Correct. I prefer that phrase to what I usually get called.

Opinion | He Believes America Should Be a Theocracy. He Says His Influence Is Growing.

Doug Wilson’s political project to “stop making God angry.”

www.nytimes.com

Joe Rigney To Join Faculty of Douglas Wilson’s New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho

A week after Bethlehem College and Seminary announced that Dr. Joe Rigney had resigned as its president, New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho, has announced that Rigney will be joining its faculty as a Fellow of Theology.

churchleaders.com

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Yes, a key figure here is most definitely Doug Wilson. He has been written about extensively and does not hesitate to talk about his Christian Nationalist beliefs, as he does in this interview below (gift link). The relationship between Rigney and Wilson is well documented.

An excerpt from the Wilson interview:

Douthat: So talk about the political project that comes out of this. The phrase “Christian nationalism” gets thrown around a lot these days. And you have been willing to take full ownership of the phrase.

Wilson: Correct. I prefer that phrase to what I usually get called.

Opinion | He Believes America Should Be a Theocracy. He Says His Influence Is Growing.

Doug Wilson’s political project to “stop making God angry.”

www.nytimes.com

IMO when we're talking about white nationalists vs. Christian nationalists, not many people openly cop to either of those labels but it's the classic Venn diagram of overlap between the two. Does Cities Church in particular openly ascribe to these labels? No. But it doesn't take much investigation to connect the dots between the church leadership and Doug Wilson.

IMO what Doug Wilson has done in Moscow, ID - the infiltration of government and schools, and trying to acquire extensive real estate holdings - is very disturbing. Cities Church is associated with this movement via Wilson and Rigney.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/07/politics/pastor-doug-wilson-christian-domination-trump

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1224382120

Controversial church aims to ‘make Moscow a Christian town’

An area of progressive values in a part of the state and country that is deeply red, Moscow is just about perfect for a lot of residents. But leaders of Christ Church say they’re trying to evangelize in an area that has shown indifference toward religion, prompting tension in the city of roughly...

www.spokesman.com

Christ Church's growing influence and ties to Christian nationalism spur packed Moscow meeting

Nearly 200 Moscow residents gathered Tuesday night to discuss combating Christian nationalism amid growing influence of Christ Church.

www.spokesman.com

This small North Idaho town kept to itself. Then a Christian nationalist church asked the U.S. government to intervene

TROY, Idaho – The streets are usually calm in this town of less than a thousand people a dozen miles east of Moscow.

www.spokesman.com

https://religionnews.com/2019/11/05/douglas-wilsons-spiritual-takeover-plan-roils-idaho-college-town

Joe Rigney To Join Faculty of Douglas Wilson’s New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho

A week after Bethlehem College and Seminary announced that Dr. Joe Rigney had resigned as its president, New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho, has announced that Rigney will be joining its faculty as a Fellow of Theology.

churchleaders.com

'[They] Serve Their Neighbors,' Says 'The Sin of Empathy' Author and Cities Church Cofounder Joe Rigney

Joe Rigney, author of "The Sin of Empathy," says Cities Church is not political, describing its mission as serving neighbors and spreading the gospel.

churchleaders.com

Rigney defends Cities Church as 'normal' – Baptist News Global

A protest last Sunday at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., is symptomatic of a spiritual sickness in American society, Joe Rigney said.

baptistnews.com

https://www.npr.org/2024/06/25/1250560533/property-trump-business-andrew-crapuchettes

 

[CSIDreamer]

I'm confused about this whole Rigney association game.

He left a church several years ago. Is at a completely different church that isn't even a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The association was broken when he left.

At this point, IMO this is just smoke and mirrors to draw attention away from the thread subject.

 

[CSIDreamer]

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.

Yes. I'm going through the affidavit and the bottom of page 14, Item E it mentions the St. Paul PD report and the officer's name that wrote it. Several parishioners called 911.

If you need the link, happy to provide. It's in this thread somewhere.

Edited to correct page #

 

[CSIDreamer]

I find that hard to believe too and am considering it a rumor until evidence is shared. From the videos I have viewed, there was nothing like that going on, but I understand it was chaotic and upsetting situation.

But it sounds like "satanic panic" type rumors from the 80s, tbh.

I will change my mind if I learn something that warrants a change of mind.

jmo

p.s. I do not condone interrupting any worship service.

FBI affidavit in suport of arrest warrant | PDF | U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement | American Government

This affidavit, submitted by Special Agent Timothy Gerber, outlines the investigation into a group of agitators who disrupted a religious service at Cities Church in St. Paul, MN on January 18, 2026. The group, led by Nekima Valdez Levy-Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen, coordinated their...

www.scribd.com

Pages 15 - 18 have witness summaries.

 

[Summerliz03]

I agree, the church’s affiliation is somewhat irrelevant to the discussion. My only thought is in order for the DOJ to win this case, they will have to show proof that Mr Lemon conspired with the protestors to plan this demonstration, and that he acted as a protestor and not a journalist by doing that. As I stated before, we do not need to debate if Don Lemon is a journalist - we all know he is (whether or not we like him or agree with his stance and how he reports the news). He IS a journalist. He was in that church as a journalist, he stated this many times. But to me, the only way the DOJ will win is if they prove he was part of the planning of the protest. Otherwise, his first amendment rights as a journalist override any Congressional acts. All MOO.