Rushed and botched judicial proceedings, a likely violation of the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of expression and, to top it off, sarcasm from the White House. The arrest of journalist Don Lemon on the evening of Thursday, January 29, in Los Angeles marked yet another milestone in the political instrumentalization of the justice system by the United States government. The former CNN anchor, now hosting a show on YouTube, was released on Friday afternoon after being indicted.
Lemon was accused of not only attending but participating in the intrusion of protesters into a church in Saint Paul, a city located across the Mississippi River, southeast of Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 18. Another independent journalist, Georgia Fort, who was also present, was arrested and then released on Friday. She posted a video on social media as officers knocked on her door at dawn.
The protesters who entered the church sought to denounce ongoing police operations in Minneapolis and the increasing abuses during arrests of suspected undocumented individuals, symbolized by the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both killed by officers from federal immigration agencies. The Trump administration considered the intrusion an attack on a place of worship.
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