"The arrests stem from a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the pastor is also an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Protesters entered the church chanting "ICE out," disrupting services. Troubling though this may be-places of worship have often been considered off-limits for political protest-the protesters did not assault anyone or even destroy property. Whatever protesters did or didn't do, Lemon was not demonstrating; he identified himself as a journalist and was clear he was documenting the protest, not participating in it."
"These arrests came after the Trump Department of Justice's original criminal complaint against Lemon was rejected because a federal judge-a man who was a former clerk for conservative icon Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and a George W. Bush appointee-found there was no probable cause to arrest him. Still, Lemon found himself under arrest for the crime of doing journalism."
Federal agents arrested former CNN anchor Don Lemon, independent journalist Georgia Fort, and activists Trahern Jeen Crews and Jamael Lydell Lundy after a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The church's pastor also serves as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Protesters entered chanting "ICE out," disrupted services but did not assault anyone or destroy property. Lemon identified himself as a journalist and documented the protest rather than participating. A federal judge—a former clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia and a George W. Bush appointee—found no probable cause in an earlier Department of Justice complaint. The White House posted a mocking tweet accusing Lemon of involvement in the church riots. The arrests demonstrate aggressive state action against journalists and indicate erosions of First Amendment protections.
Read at Slate Magazine
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