The names of the people who organized a protest at the Cities Church in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area on Sunday, January 18, have been revealed. Monique Cullars Doty, Chauntyll Allen, Satara Strong-Allen have been identified as the co-organizers of the demonstration, which has been widely condemned.
The demonstrators sabotaged an ongoing service over online information that a pastor at the church has alleged ICE ties. Former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who was part of the crowd and live-streamed the demonstration, is under fire for his actions.
Nekima Levy Armstrong, a prominent activist, wrote in a Facebook post that the “mission” was co-organized from Black Lives Matter Minnesota, Black Lives Matter Twin Cities Metro, and Racial Justice Network.
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“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!!!” Armstrong wrote. “Thank you to all of the activists who showed up + independent journalists Georgia Fort, Don Lemon, DawokeFarmer2, Brixton Hughes. Special thanks to Monique Cullars Doty, Chauntyll Allen, Satara Strong-Allen for co-organizing this mission from Black Lives Matter Minnesota & Black Lives Matter Twin Cities Metro, along with Racial Justice Network.”
While not much is known about Monique, Allen is a community organizer and St. Paul School Board member, according to her social media. Strong-Allen is the Executive Director at Love First Community Engagement, her social media shows.
Lemon captured anti-ICE protesters storming the church to confront a pastor. The demonstrators were seen rushing into Cities Church and chanting slogans like “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!” and “ICE OUT” repeatedly.
Why was the protest arranged?
Protesters in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area reportedly stormed the Sunday Service after discovering online claims that one of the church’s pastors also serves in a senior role with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Social media posts revealed that the pastor identified by protesters is David Easterwood, who has been listed in federal records as the Acting Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations in the Saint Paul Office of ICE.
There is no independent confirmation in major news reports that pastor Easterwood is the same individual listed in federal records. Eastwood was not at the Sunday service.
Read More | Don Lemon faces serious accusations after Minneapolis anti-ICE protestors storm Cities Church mid-service – Watch
The pastor who was at the church during the demonstration has been identified as Jonathan Parnell, the lead pastor of Cities Church. He was captured on camera being questioned by Lemon at the church. Parnell condemned the incident as “unacceptable” and “shameful,” as Lemon defended the protesters and said they were exercising their Constitutional rights to protest.
This was one of many protests Minneapolis has seen in the aftermath of Renee Nicole Good’s death. Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was gunned down by federal agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, a shooting that the Trump administration claimed was carried out in self-defense as she allegedly struck him with her vehicle.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that she had a conversation with the pastor “whose church was targeted.” “Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law,” she wrote on X. “If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails.”