Don Lemon, others in Minneapolis hearing on church protest charges

Several radical charged successful transportation with a protestation astatine a Minnesota church whose pastor served arsenic an Immigration and Customs Enforcement authoritative are acceptable to beryllium arraigned Friday day successful a Minneapolis national courtroom.

Journalist Don Lemon, who is being represented by erstwhile Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, has pleaded not blameworthy to conspiracy against the close of spiritual state astatine a spot of worship and injuring, intimidating and interfering with the workout of the close of spiritual state astatine a spot of worship.

Local activists Chauntyll Allen, Nekima Levy Armstrong and others are besides acceptable to springiness their pleas successful Friday's hearing.

Court documents accidental the radical interrupted services astatine Cities Church successful St. Paul, Minnesota, past month. The protesters targeted the religion due to the fact that 1 of its pastors, David Easterwood, besides led the section ICE office.

Legal experts told CBS News they expect the charges against the radical to beryllium dismissed. The indictment alleges the disruption violated the FACE Act, which prohibits radical from intimidating oregon interfering with radical exercising their law state to signifier religion. But immoderate erstwhile Civil Rights Division lawyers accidental the complaint is constitutionally flawed and has ne'er earlier been utilized to prosecute interference successful a location of worship.

Before the indictment, a national magistrate justice successful Minnesota refused to motion a complaint charging Lemon successful the case.

Levy Armstrong told WCCO her religion compelled her to protestation Easterwood.

"The world is, arsenic a Christian who is besides an ordained reverend, successful my tradition, it is important to talk up erstwhile you spot injustice," she said.

Independent writer Georgia Fort and 1 different idiosyncratic charged successful the lawsuit are acceptable to beryllium arraigned connected Tuesday.

In:

• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• Don Lemon
• St. Paul