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Church protest charges: Latest details
Two more of pleaded not guilty to federal charges stemming from a protest against immigration enforcement at a church in St. Paul last month. FOX 9’s Rob Olson has the latest details.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Paul church parishioner has filed a lawsuit against a group of protesters who disrupted a church service last month as part of an anti-ICE protest, seeking damages over mental distress caused by the demonstration.
Lawsuit filed
What we know:
Ann Doucette filed the lawsuit against the group of protesters along with journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort in Minnesota District Court on Monday.
The lawsuit claims Doucette, who was attending service the day of the protest, had her ability to exercise freedom of religion interfered with, causing her "severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma."
It appears Doucette filed the lawsuit herself and is currently working without counsel.
Protesters facing federal charges
The backstory:
The group of protesters stormed the church on Jan. 18, demanding pastor David Easterwood resign. Along with his work at the church, protesters were upset with Easterwood's status as acting director of the ICE field office in St. Paul.
Video showed protesters chanting and bringing the service to a halt. Since the protest, federal prosecutors have brought charges against seven of the demonstrators, including organizer Nekima Levy-Armstrong and St. Paul School Board Member Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and two journalists who entered the church covering the protest, former CNN anchor Don Lemon and Twin Cities independent reporter Georgia Fort.
All nine people facing charges are accused of violations of the FACE Act and the KKK Act.