U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday that two more individuals have been arrested in connection with a January protest that disrupted worship services at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson join seven others facing federal civil rights charges—including former CNN host Don Lemon.
A grand jury indictment unsealed Friday charges all nine with conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers. The federal government is treating the January 18 incident not as protected speech, but as a coordinated attack on religious liberty.
The arrests have unfolded in waves. Four came on Friday when the indictment dropped. Three occurred earlier in the week. Bondi named the final two on Monday via social media.
On January 18, protesters entered Cities Church in St. Paul during services. They chanted "ICE out" and "Justice for Renee Good"—a 37-year-old mother of three who was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. The timing and circumstances of Good's death are not detailed in available records.
The indictment paints a picture of deliberate disruption. Austin allegedly stood in the aisles and loudly berated a pastor with questions about Christian nationalism. Richardson allegedly traveled to the church with Lemon while Lemon was streaming, and told Lemon they needed to catch up to the others, ABC News reported.
That last detail matters. It suggests coordination. It suggests participants knew where others were and moved to join them. This wasn't a spontaneous demonstration that wandered into a sanctuary.
David Easterwood serves as pastor at Cities Church. He also leads ICE's St. Paul field office. The protesters appear to have targeted his congregation specifically—turning a worship service into a venue for political grievance.
The congregation didn't choose their pastor's other job. They showed up on a Sunday to pray. They became props in someone else's protest.
The most recognizable name among the nine is Don Lemon. CNN fired him in 2023. He has since described himself as an independent journalist and claims he was merely chronicling the protesters at Cities Church—with no affiliation to the group that disrupted the service.
Federal prosecutors apparently see it differently. They don't typically indict journalists for covering events. The allegation that Richardson told Lemon they needed to catch up to the others suggests something beyond passive observation.
Also arrested Friday: Georgia Fort, identified as an independent journalist. Prominent local activist Nekima Levy Armstrong was taken into custody earlier in the week. Four others named in the indictment have not been publicly identified.
Austin's attorney, Sarah Gad, did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Richardson had no attorney listed in court records as of Monday. Online jail records show Austin was arrested Friday. Richardson's arrest date remains unclear.
The charges here deserve attention. Conspiracy. Interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers. These are federal civil rights statutes—the same laws designed to protect Americans from having their constitutional liberties stripped by force or intimidation.
For decades, these laws have been wielded to protect protesters, voters, and minority communities from those who would silence them. Now the Justice Department is applying them to protect churchgoers from activists who decided their cause justified storming a sanctuary.
The legal theory is straightforward. Americans have a constitutional right to worship. Entering a church during services to shout down a pastor and disrupt the congregation interferes with that right. Do it in coordination with others, and you've got conspiracy.
The protesters wanted to make a point about ICE. They ended up demonstrating something else entirely: their own willingness to violate the civil rights of ordinary people who stood in their way.
This isn't an isolated incident. It's part of a broader trend—activists who believe their causes exempt them from the rules that govern everyone else. Churches have become targets precisely because they're seen as soft. Disrupting a worship service generates attention without the risks that come with confronting law enforcement directly.
The same political movement that demands safe spaces and speaks reverently about protecting marginalized communities showed up at a church to intimidate families trying to pray. The same voices that decry the suppression of dissent had no problem suppressing a congregation's right to worship in peace.
Religious liberty means nothing if it evaporates the moment someone with a grievance walks through the door. The First Amendment protects the right to protest. It also protects the right to assemble peacefully for worship—and that right doesn't yield to whoever shouts loudest.
Nine people now face federal charges. The Justice Department investigation that produced these indictments appears ongoing. Bondi gave no details about the arrests of Austin and Richardson, suggesting the government is still building its case and making moves.
Federal civil rights charges carry serious weight. These aren't misdemeanors that end with community service. The defendants will face prosecution in federal court, where conviction rates run high, and judges take violations of constitutional rights seriously.
Lemon's involvement guarantees national attention. A former cable news host facing federal charges for allegedly conspiring to violate Americans' civil rights makes for a story that won't disappear. His claim that he was simply chronicling events will be tested against the evidence prosecutors present.
The Trump administration's response sends a message. Churches are not acceptable targets for political theater. Worshippers do not forfeit their rights because activists disagree with their pastor's day job. The federal government will prosecute those who treat sanctuaries as stages for disruption.
Renee Good's death was a tragedy. A mother of three is gone. But her death does not license entering a church to berate a pastor and terrorize a congregation. Grief is not a permission slip for violating the constitutional rights of strangers.
The nine defendants allegedly decided that their anger mattered more than the First Amendment rights of the people in those pews. A grand jury disagreed. Now they'll answer for it in federal court.
Cities Church held services on January 18. Protesters tried to shut them down. The congregation prayed anyway. The federal government noticed who did what—and acted accordingly.