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

[J. J. in Phila]

That's actually a bizarre question. If a person A goes somewhere with person B and person B decides to commit a crime, that does not make person A a criminal just by association.

And Don Lemon did not even walk into that church together with the protesters.

MOO

If Person A knows about it, and still goes, he is an accomplice.

 

[Hexe]

"The protest was to draw attention to the fact that a church minister at Cities Church in Saint Paul is affiliated with ICE.

Otto, I do not even how to say it... But drawing attention to the fact a pastor is an ICE officer does not equal wanting to confront said pastor. There is a vast, VAST difference in meaning between these two sentences. Really.

MOO

 

[Summerliz03]

No, that is the law. Just showing the relevant parts:

"Whomever, ...

(2)
by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship; or ...

shall be subject to the penalties provided in subsection (b) and the civil remedies provided in subsection (c), except that a parent or legal guardian of a minor shall not be subject to any penalties or civil remedies under this section for such activities insofar as they are directed exclusively at that minor."

18 U.S. Code § 248 - Freedom of access to clinic entrances

www.law.cornell.edu

It is an illegal act, like bank robbery.

Standing next to the pastor and asking his questions, even at the door to the church, is not obstruction. The pastor was able to leave the church. He didn’t use force to injure, intimidate, or attempt to injure or intimidate anyone. So that leaves obstruction. I didn’t see any video where Don Lemon obstructed anyone in that church, but if you have evidence of this, please share it. Standing next to someone and interviewing them is not obstruction.

 

[Hexe]

Obstructing members of the congregation, intimidating and interfering with them.

As for now there is no evidence fir that despite the fact there is video footage from that particular event (no, indicttion is not an evidence, it only shows the GJ believes there is possibility the person indicted committed the crime in question).

MOO

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Standing next to the pastor and asking his questions, even at the door to the church, is not obstruction. The pastor was able to leave the church. He didn’t use force to injure, intimidate, or attempt to injure or intimidate anyone. So that leaves obstruction. I didn’t see any video where Don Lemon obstructed anyone in that church, but if you have evidence of this, please share it. Standing next to someone and interviewing them is not obstruction.

Blocking him at all would be.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

As for now there is no evidence fir that despite the fact there is video footage from that particular event (no, indicttion is not an evidence, it only shows the GJ believes there is possibility the person indicted committed the crime in question).

MOO

There is ample evidence, part of it that Lemon entered the church.

 

[Hexe]

Blocking him at all would be.

The thing os Lemon blocked noone. When he was interviewing people you could see other people going past.

MOO

 

[Summerliz03]

Blocking him at all would be.

Where did he block him? He was standing to the side of the doorway, next to a pastor as he interviewed him. Then the pastor walked out the door and still allowed himself to be interviewed outside by Don Lemon. And he interviewed another pastor who stood up near the alter, he was also standing next to him and the pastor was not blocked from walking away.

 

[Inthedetails]

The thing os Lemon blocked noone. When he was interviewing people you could see other people going past.

MOO

Yes, I saw that too when I watched the video coverage.

jmo

 

[Hexe]

There is ample evidence, part of it that Lemon entered the church.

Entering the church is not a crime. He did not start reporting until the service got already disrupted by the protest and wasn't going to be continued.

MOO

 

[Summerliz03]

There is ample evidence, part of it that Lemon entered the church.

Is it a crime to enter a church? Don lemon entered the church completely alone, sat in a pew and said nothing at all until the protesters started with their protest. Then he began documenting the event and interviewing people. It’s all in the livestream that he uploaded to his YouTube.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

The thing os Lemon blocked noone. When he was interviewing people you could see other people going past.

MOO

It was intimidaing and the pastor was block, as were some of the others.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Is it a crime to enter a church? Don lemon entered the church completely alone, sat in a pew and said nothing at all until the protesters started with their protest. Then he began documenting the event and interviewing people. It’s all in the livestream that he uploaded to his YouTube.

If you were there because you knew a crime was going to happen, yes.

 

[Hexe]

It was intimidaing and the pastor was block, as were some of the others.

How exactly is approaching a person with mike and politely asking questions intimidating?How was the pastor blocked, when people around could pass freely? Explain please.

 

[Hexe]

If you were there because you knew a crime was going to happen, yes.

There is no evidence Lemon knew a crime was going to happen.

MOO

 

[Ruminations]

And this pastor, Paula White, has condemned Lemon: 'Shameful': Pastors, Christian leaders react to activists storming So. Baptist church in Minnesota

So has the President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Albert Mohler, and Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

That pastor is Trumps spiritual advisor, FWIW.

MOO

 

[J. J. in Phila]

There is no evidence Lemon knew a crime was going to happen.

MOO

There is some circumstantial evidence. That is where theconspiracy charges come in.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

That pastor is Trumps spiritual advisor, FWIW.

MOO

The other two are not. Warnock is a left wing Democrat.

 

[Ruminations]

This is criminal and that is why they are being charged.

No. They are being charged because the administration is trying to chill journalism and chill protests.

If law and order were the issue, the administration would not be involved with extra judicial killings.

If the FACE act were the issue, the administration would not be pardoning others charged with it, and trying to overturn the act.

Child trafficking is criminal. War acts without congress is criminal. Shooting civilians in the street is criminal.

There is no evidence that charging criminals is the goal here. There is evidence that chilling journalism is the goal. Journalists were disproportionately charged.

MOO

 

[J. J. in Phila]

How exactly is approaching a person with mike and politely asking questions intimidating?How was the pastor blocked, when people around could pass freely? Explain please.

Because you are doing it, without their consent, during a church service.