By Thursday morning, Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Loucia Allen had both been arrested by authorities. They were arrested for participating in a direct action that disrupted a church service at Cities Church in St. Paul. The spark for the protest was set off on Sunday. It was spurred by troubling allegations regarding Pastor David Easterwood’s relationship to the St Paul ICE field office.
Nekima Levy Armstrong was arrested and charged with violating a very old, but rarely used, federal statutory prohibition against conspiring to impede people from exercising their civil rights. After their involvement in a widely-covered protest, authorities arrested both of them. Titled Faith and Freedom Roadshow, the event drew widespread media coverage, in part, because former CNN anchor Don Lemon livestreamed his attendance from within the church.
The strike was met with immediate, intense backlash from a wide range of individuals, including Donald Trump, who tweeted about the unfolding situation. He stated, “I saw him the way he walked in that church it was terrible.” This denial of public notice indicates the heightening divisiveness of this incident.
Pam Bondi, the attorney general, went to social media to denounce the arrests. She emphasized her office’s commitment to protecting places of worship, stating, “Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP.” Her comments express a deeper fear about the ultimate safety and sacredness of our religious spaces.
During the protest, Pastor Jonathan Parnell addressed the demonstrators, asserting, “Our church had gathered for worship, which we do every Sunday. We asked them to leave and they have not.” This one statement represents the difficult position church members found themselves in during these protests.
When Nekima Levy Armstrong was arrested, the White House celebrated. That’s what makes this event so important, both locally and on a national scale. A photo documenting her detention went viral on social media, further galvanizing the public’s interest in the event.