Update on Minneapolis Church Protests
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Monday that two additional individuals have been arrested in relation to the protests at a church in Minnesota last month.
As previously reported, former CNN anchor Don Lemon was involved with anti-ICE protesters who entered a church in Minnesota, where he allegedly accused the pastor of being associated with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to live footage available on YouTube, protesters were seen entering Cities Church in Minneapolis. Shouts of “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “ICE go!” could be heard during the incident.
Lemon clarified on video that he was “not part of the group” and was merely “taking pictures.” He indicated that the protesters believed one of the pastors was affiliated with ICE.
The protesters reportedly harassed families with young children and occasionally obstructed exits.
On Monday, Bondi confirmed the arrests of Ian Davis Austin and Jerome DeAngelo Richardson. They were among nine attendees that day, which included Lemon and Georgia Fort, both mentioned in a federal grand jury indictment that emerged last week.
“If you riot in a place of worship, we will find you. We have arrested two more individuals, Ian Davis Austin and Jerome DeAngelo Richardson, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Bondi stated.
This arrest occurred shortly after Lemon was charged with “conspiring against the right to religious freedom in a place of worship and impairing, threatening, or impeding the exercise of the right to religious freedom.”
According to NBC News, “Last week, a federal judge dismissed criminal charges against Lemon and others, siding with the defense.” It was noted that the judge ruled in favor of the administration. A senior Justice Department official commented that “probable cause for arrest under federal law has never been applied in this context before.”
After his release, Lemon expressed his intention to continue covering the news, as he had been doing at the church protests.
