Vladimir,
Trump's U.S.
government has arrested two journalists just for
covering a story in Minnesota that the administration
didn't like. This is an extremely serious situation.
We have already seen Customs and Immigration Enforcement
(ICE) officers murder peaceful protestors, and now apparently, the U.S.
government is also arresting people for legal,
Constitutionally-protected activities and charging them
with federal crimes.
Both individuals,
former CNN anchor Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, are
Black independent journalists. They were exercising
their First Amendment rights of reporting on a
protest at a Minnesota church where one of the
pastors is an ICE leader. The peaceful protesters wanted
to draw attention to the pastor's ICE connections and
decry the conflict involved in filling both
roles.
Not only did Trump's team arrest seven of
the protesters, it also went after Lemon and Fort simply
for being present and covering the demonstration.
Fort filmed
federal agents marching to her home and arresting her,
saying: "As a member of the press, I filmed the
church protest a few weeks ago, and now I'm being
arrested for that. It's hard to understand how we
have constitutional rights when you can just be arrested
for being a member of the press."
Agents went
after Lemon in Los Angeles, arresting him around
midnight after he had covered the Grammy
awards.
News organizations, journalists,
politicians, and human rights groups are sounding
the alarm about the significance of these arrests. A
spokesperson for CNN said: "The FBI's arrest of our
former CNN colleague Don Lemon raises profoundly
concerning questions about press freedom and the first
amendment." Senator Chuck Schumer is highlighting
the broader ripple-effects: "Let's be very clear — this
arrest is not just about one journalist in one incident.
The arrest is a dark message to journalists everywhere:
if you dare criticize this administration, watch your
back."
This is a crossing a line-in-the-sand
moment. We must NOT be silent! Sign the petition to show the
Trump administration that you're paying attention and to
demand an immediate drop to these cooked-up
charges!
