DOJ Arrests Three Activists Who Disrupted Cities Church Service in St. Paul
The Department of Justice has arrested three radical activists who disrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday, January 18.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests of Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly after they organized a mob that stormed the church, screamed at the congregation and shut down its worship service.
The militant activists oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcing federal laws as agents arrest and deport illegal aliens.
In a post on X announcing Armstrong’s arrest, Bondi wrote, “Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP” (her emphasis).
The DOJ also sought to arrest journalist Don Lemon, who filmed the church invasion. But, according to CBS News, a federal judge rejected the charges.
The former CNN anchor, who was fired from the network in 2023 for low ratings, said in a video he posted on YouTube, “We’re not part of the activists, but we’re here just reporting on them.”
Lemon also stated, “This is what the First Amendment is about — about the freedom to protest.”
Lemon is wrong.
The First Amendment keeps the government from restricting freedom of religion, speech, the press, peaceful assembly and the right to petition. It does not allow protestors to invade private property and shut down other people’s freedoms.
The protest organizers said they targeted the church because one of the pastors, David Easterwood, is bi-vocational, also serving as the acting director for ICE and Removal Operations in St. Paul.
Nekima Levy Armstrong is a self-described “Civil Rights Attorney, Social Justice Activist, Children’s Book Author, Woman of Faith and Entrepreneur.”
As a civil rights attorney, she should also know that mobs of protestors don’t have the right to infringe on other people’s freedom of speech, religion and assembly.
When the DOJ said they might charge her, Armstrong tried to downplay the group’s actions, telling CNN:
Armstrong is either disingenuous or very forgetful, as right before the church assault she told Lemon the protest was “Operation Pullout, more of a clandestine operation … and then we disrupt business as usual.”
So the goal was not to “participate in the service” — but to disrupt it.
The second organizer arrested was Chauntyll Louisa Allen, an at-large member of the Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education and leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities.
The New York Post explained Allen’s role in the interruption of the service:
Homeland Security announced the arrest, saying:
The final arrest was William Kelly, an “organizer” based out of Washington, D.C., who uses the moniker “DaWokeFarmer.”
In an obscenity-laced video, Kelly said he “went into a church with Nikema Armstrong and I protested these white supremacists,” calling the congregation “pretend Christians, all these comfortable white people, who are living lavish comfortable lives while children are dragged into concentration camps.”
Kelly gave no evidence of church members “white supremacy” or of these alleged “concentration camps,” and he challenged Attorney General Bondi to arrest him.
Bondi drily responded to his taunt, “OK.”
She posted about the arrest, explaining:
Bondi is right. The Founding Fathers knew that the freedom to act and speak according to our deepest beliefs is at the center of all our other rights, protecting these rights from government interference.
Federal law also makes it a crime for individuals to attempt “to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”
We’re thankful the federal government is protecting this precious right and pursuing justice for Cities Church and its pastors and members.
Related articles and resources:
Crackdown on Illegal Immigration Protects Children
The Face Act Criminalizes Interfering in Church Services
It’s Compassionate to Oppose Illegal immigration. Here’s Why.
The Light Shines in the Darkness: When the World Storms the Church
Talking to Your Kids About Illegal Immigration
Tom Homan: We Have the Most Secure Border in American History
Trump Admin: ‘The Days of Anti-Christian Bias in the Federal Government are Over’
Trump Sees Lowest Border Numbers in History: ‘The Invasion is Over’
Violent Gang Takes Advantage of American Immigration Policy
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