Journalist Don Lemon was arrested on Thursday night in Los Angeles concerning his participation in a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lemon was reportedly with a group of demonstrators opposing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when the protest escalated, leading to conflict during a church service earlier this month.
His attorney, Abbe Lowell, confirmed the arrest took place around 11 PM local time in a Beverly Hills hotel lobby while Lemon was in Los Angeles to cover the Grammy Awards. In a statement, Lowell emphasized Lemon’s longstanding commitment to journalism, asserting that his activities in Minnesota were consistent with his role as a journalist and citing the First Amendment’s protection of the press. “Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” he stated, highlighting the perceived threat the charges pose to journalistic rights.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Lemon was not the only individual arrested in connection to the demonstration; several others, including Trahern Jeen Crew and Jamael Lydell Lundy, were implicated as well in what has been described as a “coordinated attack” on the church.
While the Department of Justice initially sought to charge Lemon alongside seven others, a magistrate judge dismissed the charges against Lemon, citing insufficient evidence. However, the judge encouraged prosecutors to take the case to a grand jury for further consideration. The unusual move of charging a journalist has raised concerns, given the implications for press freedom. Senior DOJ officials have publicly stated that Lemon might have violated the church’s rights by being on private property and disrupting the service.
This case is still developing, and further updates are expected as it progresses through the legal system. The tensions surrounding Lemon’s arrest reflect broader issues of journalistic freedom and the government’s stance on protests.