St. Paul, Minnesota—A St. Paul City Attorney announced Wednesday that no state criminal charges will be brought against dozens of activists who disrupted a church service in January, despite the federal civil‑rights indictments that have been filed against them.
The protesters, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon, interrupted a service at Cities Church on Jan. 18, chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.”
Good, a 37‑year‑old mother of three, was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement.
The Justice Department filed civil‑rights charges against 39 people, including Lemon, alleging that the protest violated constitutional rights.
City Attorney Irene Kao said the current evidence was insufficient to meet Minnesota’s state criminal standards, a decision that critics at the church say ignores the unlawful nature of the protest.
Kao emphasized that the right to peacefully protest and the right to religion must both be protected, and that while the protest did not involve violence or property damage, it was a disturbance of worship.
Attorneys for Cities Church argue that the lack of physical harm does not negate the legality of the protest.
Meanwhile, four states—Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas—have enacted laws that make it a crime to disrupt worship services.
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