Daijiworld Media Network – Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Jan 30: Veteran journalist Don Lemon was taken into custody on Thursday night by federal agents in Los Angeles, in connection with a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month. Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, confirmed the arrest and stated that Lemon was acting in his capacity as a journalist, covering the event rather than participating in the protest.
The protest involved dozens of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstrators who entered the church, disrupting a service and creating tense confrontations. Lemon has maintained that he was present solely to document the event, saying in a video posted on YouTube, “I’m just here photographing, I’m not part of the group… I’m a journalist.”
Lemon was arrested in a Beverly Hills hotel lobby late Thursday night as he was leaving for a Grammy Awards event. He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday morning.
Lowell criticized the arrest, calling it an unprecedented attack on First Amendment protections and asserting that the Justice Department is diverting attention from the deaths of two peaceful Minnesota protesters. She said, “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ), under Attorney General Pam Bondi, announced additional arrests connected to the same incident, including Trahern Jeen Crew and Jamael Lydell Lundy. The DOJ had initially attempted to charge eight individuals, including Lemon, but a magistrate judge rejected the charges for five of them, citing insufficient evidence. Prosecutors are now pursuing a grand jury indictment.
Criminal charges against reporters are rare and face intense scrutiny, with courts often evaluating whether the journalist’s actions are protected under the First Amendment. DOJ officials have stated that Lemon allegedly did not have a right to be on the church’s private property, and that interrupting the service may have infringed on the churchgoers’ constitutional rights.
This case highlights the tension between journalistic freedom and federal authorities’ interpretation of trespass and disruption laws, with Lemon’s legal team promising to vigorously contest the charges.