BEVERLY HILLS—On January 29, former CNN News Anchor, and host of YouTube, Don Lemon Show was covering the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles when he was arrested and taken into custody by federal agents. The former News Anchor turned YouTuber, spent the night in jail pending his first court appearance on January 30.
Reports indicate that on January 18, Don Lemon followed three protesters into Cities Church in St. Paul, MN during a two-hour church service. The protesters were targeting pastor, David Easterwood, over his work outside of the Church for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The three protesters; Nekima Levy Armstrong of Minneapolis, MN, Chauntyll Allen, of Minneapolis, MN, and former Army and Iraqi war veteran, William Kelly, aka, “DaWokeFarmer” on Tik Tok were arrested that day and booked into Sherburne County Jail.
“I surrendered myself peacefully, deliberately, and with intention. I demanded dignity, humanity, and respect, not just for myself, but for every person who has ever been brutalized, silenced, or disappeared by unchecked government power. We stood in protest because families are being torn apart, communities terrorized, and constitutional rights trampled. And we will not be intimidated into silence.”—Nikima Levy Armstrong
Don Lemon indicated that he was there “As an independent journalist, not as a protester.”
Multiple reports indicate that there were members of the congregation that were not permitted to go get their children, and there were children who were scared and wanted their parents and were unable to get to them. Don Lemon did not intervene on behalf of those who were there to worship. He filmed the protesters.
On January 20, Monique Mullers, co-founder of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and other Twin Cities community activists gathered that the Hennepin County Government Center to demand that Pastor Easterwood step down as Pastor of Cities Church due to his full-time employment with ICE.
Cities Church Pastor Jonathan Parnell gave thanks for the help of federal agents on his X social media page.
“We are grateful that the Department of Justice acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him known.”
An additional statement was made by North Legal attorneys Renee Carlson and Doug Wardlaw.
“The freedom to worship God without fear of violence and intimidation is a fundamental right that defines who we are as Americans. True North Legal and Cities Church are grateful that the Department of Justice is committed to upholding that freedom and is holding the agitators who invaded the church, accountable.”
On January 23, a Minneapolis Federal Judge freed the three protestors due to indicating that the arresting officers didn’t meet Minnesota’s burden of proof needed to warrant detention.
On January 29 that Don Lemon was arrested and taken into custody by federal agents. The LASD Inmate Roster did not have the location of the jail Lemon spent the night at before his morning court date.
