Second Black Journo, Two Other African Americans in Custody
By Richard Prince
Journai-isms
“The former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested late Thursday night on charges that he violated federal law during a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn., his lawyer said, in a case rejected last week by a magistrate judge,” Hamed Aleaziz, Devlin Barrett and Alan Feuer reported Friday for The New York Times.
A second Black reporter, independent Twin Cities journalist Georgia Fort, was also in custody and livestreamed her arrest on Facebook Live. Both were released later in the day.
“Fort is the founder of BLCK Press, a Minnesota-based social enterprise newsroom that connects journalism with Black culture and community-centered storytelling,” the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder reported Friday. “She also serves as president of the Center for Broadcast Journalism, a 501(c)(3) organization focused on expanding access and representation in the media workforce and supporting the next generation of journalists.”
Two other African Americans, both activists who have run for public office, were taken into custody as well.
The New York Times story continued, “Mr. Lemon has said he was simply reporting as a journalist when he entered the Cities Church on Jan. 18 to observe a demonstration against the immigration crackdown in the area.
“The protesters interrupted a service at the church, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as a pastor, and chanted ‘ICE out.’ Afterward, the Trump administration sought to charge eight people over the episode, including Mr. Lemon, citing a law that protects people seeking to participate in a service in a house of worship.
“But the magistrate judge who reviewed the evidence approved charges against only three of the people, rejecting the evidence against Mr. Lemon and the others as insufficient. The Justice Department then petitioned a federal appeals court to force the judge to issue the additional warrants, only to be denied.”
Jenny Jarvie, Grace Tooheyand Andrea Castilloadded for the Los Angeles Times, “Lemon, 59, is being charged with Conspiracy to Deprive Rights and Violation of the FACE Act and interfering by force on someone’s 1st Amendment rights, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security told The Times. James Blair, a deputy White House chief of staff, said in an X post Friday that Lemon had been indicted by a federal grand jury.
“Prominent local activists, including Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen, were arrested Jan. 22.” Both activists are Black. “Meanwhile, the Justice Department petitioned a federal appeals court to force the judge to issue arrest warrants for Lemon and four other people. The request was denied.”
Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Lemon, vowed to fight the charges.
The New York TImes account continued, “ ‘Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards,’ Mr. Lowell said in a statement on Friday. ‘Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.’
“Mr. Lowell added, ‘This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.’
“Mr. Lemon is scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday morning. Now that he has been arrested, he is likely to challenge the prosecution’s case by arguing that he was not protesting, but rather covering the event as a journalist. . . .”
However, the Los Angeles Times reported, “the 1st Amendment does not apply to private spaces. Some legal experts have suggested a defense based on the 1st Amendment would hinge on whether the church’s Sunday service was open to the public.”
On X, Attorney General Pam Bondi took credit for the arrest: “At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. More details soon,” she tweeted Friday morning.
Meanwhile, 20 journalism organizations, including those with diversity as their focus, issued a statement Thursday imploring “all law enforcement officers and the courts to respect journalists’ First Amendment rights and allow them to do their work without interference, physical abuse, threats or intimidation.
“On January 25, federal immigration agents in Minnesota indiscriminately deployed pepper spray, hitting reporters,” including Nick Valencia, an independent journalist and member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, even after he identified himself as a member of the news media.
“Videos shared on social media show Valencia and other journalists covering the aftermath of Alex Pretti’s killing on Saturday being subjected to chemical irritants and physical force by federal immigration agents.
“The incident is consistent with other reports from journalists covering immigration raids and related demonstrations who say they are facing similar treatment.
“Chicago Sun-Times photographer and NAHJ member Anthony Vazquez was among reporters and photographers whom federal immigration agents hit with tear gas and other chemical irritants while covering demonstrations last fall in Chicago.”
In a statement early Friday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass referred to Lemon as “an internationally known and renowned journalist and friend.” the Los Angeles Times reported. “Bass said Lemon was in custody in L.A. ‘simply for doing his job and following a protest into a church in Minneapolis while reporting the story.’
“ ‘Let me be very clear: President Trump is not de-escalating anything after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents,’ the mayor’s statement said.’“In fact, the arrest of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort demonstrates quite the opposite — he is escalating.’ ”
“Chuck Schumer, minority leader of the U.S. Senate, called for Lemon to be released immediately.
“’ Once again, the administration is behaving no differently from the police states and authoritarian regimes across history — they’ve arrested a journalist for the crime of doing his job,’ Schumer said. ‘Let’s be very clear — this arrest is not just about one journalist in once incident. This is a message to journalists everywhere: If you dare criticize this administration, watch your back. That is not democracy. That is a police state and that is pure authoritarian bile’ ”
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Independent Journalist Arrested Along With Lemon
A second Black reporter, independent Twin Cities journalist Georgia Fort, livestreamed her arrest on Facebook Live.
Sheree Curry, co-president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, told Journal-isms, “Right now we are asking people to donate through her website for legal funds.”
Fort says in the video, “There’s agents at my door,” media outlets reported. .” ‘Agents are at my door right now. They’re saying that they were able to go before a grand jury sometime, I guess, in the last 24 hours, and that they have a warrant for my arrest,” Fort (pictured below) said in her livestream,” Eric Henderson reported Friday for CBS MInnesota.
