MN journalist Georgia Fort and former CNN reporter Don Lemon arrested after covering St. Paul church protest

MINNESOTA (FOX 9) - Local Minnesota reporter Georgia Fort, along with former CNN journalist Don Lemon, were arrested by federal agents following their coverage of a protest at a church in St. Paul.

READ MORE: Don Lemon taken into custody in Los Angeles in connection with Minnesota church protest

Other arrests include Jamael Lundy, and Trahern Jeen Crews, according to the attorney general.

The full news conference will can be viewed above. 

The post from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi can be viewed below:

Community members demand release of Georgia Fort 

What they're saying:

Georgia's 17-year-old daughter spoke about the difficulty of explaining the situation to her younger siblings. She also emphasized that Georgia is not a protester or an activist, but someone who is working to support her family. 

Her husband, former professional boxer Ceresso Fort, spoke briefly at the news conference, saying "I don't understand what can go down to the point where, you know, you gotta arrest a journalist for doing their job."

The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists shared a statement that partially said the following: "We are alarmed by these escalating actions by the Trump administration that attack freedom of the press. Journalists have not only the right, but the responsibility to observe and report events in the public interest. It is not illegal to document a protest against the federal government. The fact that the protest took place in a church does not negate journalists’ First Amendment rights to report. The effort to punish independent reporting is an effort to weaken democracy."

Executive Director of the Council of American Islamic Relations said "Today's a dark day in American history, but tomorrow we will define what that history will be by Americans standing up for journalism in this country." 

Attorney General Keith Ellison: ‘In Minnesota, we do not treat journalists like criminals for doing their jobs’

Ellison condemnation:

Attorney General Keith Ellison released the following statement:

"The arrests of journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon are deeply troubling and contrary to the rights our Constitution guarantees us.

"In Minnesota, we do not treat journalists like criminals for doing their jobs. No one should be arrested merely for holding a camera, asking hard questions, or telling the public what we have a right to know.

"The First Amendment protects both the right of journalists to gather and report information without fear of retaliation and the right of the people to receive that information and know what their government and institutions are doing in their name.

"The First Amendment is not a luxury in a democracy. It is a necessity.

"When the federal government arrests reporters for documenting what is happening in our communities, it violates our rights, undermines our trust, and chills the transparency our democracy needs. It sends the message that the powerful may exercise their power in the dark, without scrutiny or accountability.

"Journalists like Georgia Fort and Don Lemon, and everyone who is documenting the surge, serve the public by bearing witness and ensuring that all of us have access to the truth. Any punishment or intimidation of journalists or the public for gathering the news and showing us what is happening demands the closest scrutiny from our institutions and from the people.

"Make no mistake: these arrests are a continuation of the attacks on our constitutional rights we’ve witnessed since the beginning of Operation Metro Surge, many of which our free press and the public have documented. Arresting the storytellers does not change the story: this dangerous, unlawful, and unconstitutional surge must end. "

St. Paul church protest arrests

What we know:

Don Lemon's attorney said he was "taken by federal agents" on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 29, while he was in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards. 

The full statement from Don Lemon's attorney can be viewed below:

Local independent journalist Georgia Fort was also arrested at her home by federal agents. 

Footage shared on her social media shows her responding to authorities at her home. 

A statement from the Center of Broadcast Journalism called the arrest "An assault on press and on the 1st Amendment."

"Georgia Fort, a trusted and cherished journalist in Minnesota, was arrested in the early morning hours for doing her job by covering a pop-up protest at Cities Church in St. Paul," the statement read. "It is an outrage that a vetted and credentialed member of the media would be in any way prosecuted for doing her appointed duty in covering news. If the federal government can come for Georgia no member of the supposed 'free' press is safe."

What we don't know:

Details on the charges have not yet been made available. 

FOX 9 is working to verify more about the other men listed in Bondi's arrest announcement and will update this story when one is received.