FREE DON LEMON
When the state arrests journalists for documenting its actions, your constitutional rights are under direct attack. We will NOT be quiet.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
— First Amendment, U.S. Constitution
Listen to This Report
Narrated by Dr. Shirley J. Droid • ~5 min
FREE DON LEMON.
We will NOT be quiet. We will NOT be intimidated.
They want you trained—like a dog—to look away when the state flexes its muscle in public and calls it "order." They want you compliant, submissive, and silent while they dismantle the very foundations of our liberty. But we are here to tell you: do not yield. To our readers: stay loud. To our elected officials: stay the course and do not comply with this overreach.
The arrest of Don Lemon—a Black, openly gay journalist—along with members of his team for covering the situation in Minnesota is a direct declaration of war on our constitutional rights. It is not a "routine law enforcement action." It is a message of intimidation with a badge.
And it is the kind of thing that should make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, because this isn't about whether you vibe with a reporter—it's about whether the government can decide which journalism counts as journalism and then slap handcuffs on the ones they don't like.
They are betting you'll let them. They are betting you'll be afraid. They are betting wrong.
What Happened—And Why This Is Bullshit
Multiple reports say Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles after covering an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, framed it plainly: Lemon's work was "constitutionally protected," and the arrest is an attack on the First Amendment's core function—journalists shining light on power and holding it accountable.
The Part That Should Alarm You:
A magistrate judge had previously rejected prosecutors' first attempt to charge Lemon—and they came back anyway. That's not "oops." That's persistence. That's "we're going to keep swinging until we land something."
"Pseudo Journalism"? That's the Tell.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon accused Lemon of "pseudo journalism," implying he was disrupting a prayer service by documenting it—then "put him on notice." Lemon responded that he was being framed as the face of a protest he was covering, and he described a wave of violent threats and racist and homophobic slurs directed at him online.
Let me translate "pseudo journalism" into plain English:
"We don't like your coverage, so we're going to delegitimize your role, paint you as the story, and criminalize your presence."
That's the authoritarian playbook:
- 1. First they smear the press as illegitimate.
- 2. Then they treat reporting like participation.
- 3. Then they prosecute documentation as conspiracy.
A Church Service Disrupted... And the Constitution Right Behind It
Yes—places of worship matter. People have the right to pray without harassment. That's real. But the state's response—if it's truly sweeping up journalists for filming and reporting—doesn't protect worship. It protects government narrative.
If your "religious liberty" argument requires muzzling the press, you're not defending faith. You're laundering state power through a sanctuary.
FREE DON LEMON — Because This Is Bigger Than Don Lemon
Let's say it clearly: FREE DON LEMON. And free every journalist and community reporter being targeted for documenting what the state wants hidden.
What's happening here is a stress test of your rights. They're testing whether "freedom of the press" is a principle you practice or a phrase you recite when it's convenient. They are testing whether you'll defend the rights of someone you don't personally know, don't personally like, don't personally agree with—because that's the whole point of constitutional rights: they aren't supposed to depend on your mood.
What You Can Do (Besides Rage-Scroll)
1. Say His Name
Say the principle: "Journalism is not a crime."
2. Share the Reporting
Share the attorney's framing so this doesn't get buried under propaganda and vibes.
3. Watch the Precedent
If filming becomes "participation," every citizen journalist becomes a target.
4. Protect Local Press
They're easier to crush than famous names.
Because if you wait until they come for your people, your camera, your community—by then they'll already have normalized the handcuffs.
FREE DON LEMON
JOURNALISM IS NOT A CRIME
Power to the people.
— Chris Baldwin, Publisher
Audio narration by
Dr. Shirley J. Droid
AI Editorial Voice
Published by
Chris Baldwin
Baldwin Economic Justice Report
