In a surprising turn of events, federal authorities have detained two journalists, reportedly in connection to their coverage of a protest that took place at a Minnesota church earlier this month.
Don Lemon, who previously served as a CNN anchor, and Georgia Fort, a renowned journalist from Minnesota with an Emmy to her name, were apprehended on charges that remain undisclosed. This development was reported by KARE.
The protest in question occurred on January 18 at Cities Church in St. Paul, a site where the pastor also fulfills duties as the acting director of the local ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) field office. Prior to these recent arrests, three individuals, including Minneapolis civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, were detained in relation to this protest.
The previous arrests were made under the FACE Act, a statute established in 1994. This law prohibits the use of force, threats, or physical blockades that would impede someone from accessing reproductive health services or practicing their right to worship.
Authorities had initially sought a judge’s approval to issue a warrant for Don Lemon’s arrest in Minnesota, but this request was denied. However, Lemon was subsequently arrested on Thursday night while he was covering the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, according to his attorney.
Georgia Fort was taken into custody the following morning, as she revealed during a live Facebook broadcast. For further details, you can view the broadcast here.
“As a member of the press, I filmed the church protest a few weeks ago and now I’m being arrested for that,” Fort said in her video message. “It’s hard to understand how we have a Constitution, Constitutional rights, when we can just be arrested for being a member of the press.”
Fort said the agents outside her door had documentation indicating she had been indicted by a grand jury for unknown crimes.
Abbe Lowell, Lemon’s attorney, released a statement noting that “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
“There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work,” Lowell said, adding that the arrest was an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment” and a “transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration.”
“Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” he said.
Levy Armstrong, who participated in the church protest, said Thursday evening she believed her arrest was a “political retaliation.”
“This is not only an immigration fight, this is a fight for police accountability,” she said. “This is a fight for racial justice. This is a fight for our constitutional rights, and we must not forget that.”
After her arrest last week, the official White House social media accounts posted an AI-altered photo of her “perp walk” making it appear Levy Armstrong was crying as she was led by federal agents.
