Overview
- Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the Civil Rights Division is investigating the Jan. 18 disruption at Cities Church for potential violations of the FACE Act, with Ku Klux Klan Act conspiracy charges under consideration.
- Dhillon stated Minnesota authorities could have made immediate arrests, while federal prosecutors must seek warrants, and she publicly warned that those involved are “on notice.”
- Don Lemon filmed the incident and says he was documenting events as an independent journalist with no role in organizing the protest, though DOJ officials indicated such claims would not automatically shield him from potential liability.
- Identified participants include activist Nekima Levy Armstrong and St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Allen, with video showing chants and distressed congregants, including a child, leaving the sanctuary.
- Organizers targeted the church over allegations that pastor David Easterwood is tied to ICE’s St. Paul field office, a claim not formally confirmed by ICE, as the protest followed weeks of unrest linked to Operation Metro Surge and ICE-involved shootings, including the death of Renee Nicole Good.