Don Lemon, Other Activists Arrested for Disrupting Church Service in St. Paul

by Jeff Johnston | January 30, 2026 | Culture

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrest of former CNN anchor Don Lemon “in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

Lemon defended entering the church with activists and filming the disruption, invoking the First Amendment and saying, “We did an act of journalism.”

Also arrested, after being indicted by a federal grand jury, were pro-illegal alien activists Trahern Jeen Crews, Jamael Lydell Lundy and Georgia Fort.

Crews, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, lost a bid for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018. Lundy, a candidate for the state’s Senate, is an attorney working for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Fort is an independent journalist who posted video of her arrest on Facebook. Like Lemon, she said she only filmed the church protest as a member of the press, claiming that her constitutional rights were violated by the arrest.

The four arrests followed those of three radical activists on January 22, Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly. The three organized “Operation Pullup,” with a mob of 30-40 people storming the church, screaming at the congregation and traumatizing adults and children.

Lemon entered the church to film the invasion, posting the video on his YouTube channel and stating:

We’re not part of the activists, but we’re here just reporting on them. …
This is what the First Amendment is about – about the freedom to protest.

After criticisms for his actions, Lemon posted another video on Instagram defending himself:

The MAGA administration and the fake news MAGAs are losing their mind over something that’s not even true.
So let me just make it clear … I have no affiliation to that organization [that invaded the church]. I didn’t even know they were going to this church until we followed them there.
We were there chronicling the protests. Once the protests started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it and talk to the people who were involved, which included the pastor, members of the church and members of the organization.
That’s it. It’s called journalism. First Amendment. 

Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Timothy Gerber filed the criminal complaint in the first three arrests, of Armstrong, Allen and Kelly. The affidavit states that the activists “disrupted the religious service and intimidated, harassed, oppressed, and terrorized the parishioners, including young children.”

Some congregation members of Cities Church fled through a side door. One woman slipped, suffering a broken arm.

Gerber quoted testimony from parishioners:

Victim 2 advised the [St. Paul Police Department] that “they were terrorized, our children were weeping, college students and young women were sobbing, it was impactful and it will take time to work through.” …
Victim 4 informed agents that members of their parish attempted to retrieve their children from the childcare area located downstairs, but the agitators were blocking the stairs, and the parents were unable to get to their children. …
Victim 6 recalled people shouting and running, children crying, as well as people singing and praying. Victim 6 recalled KELLY screaming “Nazi” in people’s faces, in addition to confronting children saying, “Do you know your parents are Nazis? They’re going to burn in hell.”

Our First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, assembly, speech and to petition the government. But the First Amendment also protects freedom of religion – our First Freedom, and it does not give activists the right to invade a church and disrupt worshippers exercising that freedom. In fact, federal law (under the FACE Act) prohibits it.

Lemon and Gort both claim that they were only participating in the protest as journalists, simply recording the event. It remains to be seen what the courts will decide about their involvement in the church invasion.

Related articles and resources:

Crackdown on Illegal Immigration Protects Children

DOJ Arrests Three Activists Who Disrupted Cities Church Service in St. Paul

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 Sees Lowest Border Numbers in History: ‘The Invasion is Over’

Violent Gang Takes Advantage of American Immigration Policy

Picture of Cities Church from Getty Images
Picture of Don Lemon from Instagram @donlemonofficial