In a move that echoes the tactics of Vladimir Putin, the Trump administration has arrested former CNN correspondent and independent journalist Don Lemon. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Lemon is facing federal civil rights charges connected to an anti immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a church service in Minnesota.
Lemon is accused of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshipers during a January 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul.
Another journalist, Georgia Fort, was also arrested, with the moment captured live on Facebook. Speaking to her followers as she was taken into custody, Fort said, “As a member of the press, I filmed the church protest a few weeks ago and now I’m being arrested for that. It’s hard to understand how we have a Constitution, constitutional rights, when we can just be arrested for being a member of the press.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Trahern Jeen Crews, a co founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, who works for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, were also taken into custody. The four were among 30 to 40 protesters who entered the church following reports that the pastor was an ICE agent.
Bondi later stated that the arrests of Crews and Lundy were made at her direction “in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church.”
Here are the facts. Every journalist and activist arrested in this case is Black.
Even more egregious is a post from the official White House account on X, which shared a photo of Don Lemon announcing his arrest, paired with the caption “When life gives you lemons” and chain emojis. This was not subtle. It was deliberate.
If this does not make the White House’s racism and fascism toward American citizens painfully obvious, it is difficult to imagine what would.
Yes, this is an attack on the free press. But let’s be precise. This is a targeted attack on the Black press. That distinction matters. This is a clear attempt to intimidate and discourage Black media from covering these stories and holding power accountable.
These actions are intentional and strategic. In a society that already marginalizes Black voices and institutions that challenge injustice, the government is deploying fear as a tool to keep us silent. I am not fooled by this strategy, and neither should you be.
Keep your eyes open. They are trying to shut us down. And we will not let them.
