Cities Church pastor blasts city gov't after Don Lemon, anti-ICE agitators escape state charges

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Friday, June 05, 2026

The pastor of Cites Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, issued a statement this week condemning the city government after they declined to issue charges against journalist Don Lemon and anti-ICE agitators who disrupted their church service in January.

St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao announced in a statement Wednesday that "current evidence is insufficient to meet that standard for criminal charges under Minnesota state statutes" for the mob of left-wing protesters who stormed Cities Church on Jan. 18 during Parnell's sermon.

The mob, led by activists with ties to Racial Justice Network and Black Lives Matter Minnesota and accompanied by former CNN host Don Lemon, marched through the sanctuary and screamed in the face of worshipers to protest that one of the pastors was also serving as the acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement St. Paul field office.

"This decision should not be interpreted as an endorsement of unlawful behavior or public disorder," Kao said in her statement. "The right to peacefully protest is protected, as is the right to exercise one's religious beliefs. Balancing these equally important rights is paramount to our decision today."

"However, acts of violence, property destruction, or threats to public safety — none of which occurred here — remain serious concerns and will be prosecuted when supported by admissible evidence," she added.

Parnell excoriated the city's decision in an X post on Wednesday.

"According to the city attorney's logic, it is perfectly fine for agitators to invade a mosque, a cathedral, or a temple, shout in people's faces, terrorize their children, and shut down their religious gathering. Just call it a 'protest.' That is the kind of city Kaohly Her and Irene Kao want," he wrote.

In a video addressing Democratic St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, Parnell questioned the extent to which she is willing to adhere to her recent State of the City speech in April, when she promised "to listen, to act, and to lift Saint Paul higher by rising to our full potential."

"But I wonder, do you include Evangelical Christians in that commitment, or do you only care about those you agree with? You have left us to wonder this," Parnell asked.

Renee Carlson, general counsel for True North Legal, which represents Cities Church, claimed that by basing her decision on the absence of property destruction, Kao "draws an arbitrary line that conveniently excludes statutory charges for other kinds of unlawful conduct," according to local ABC affiliate KSTP.

Josh Howerton, who serves as senior pastor at Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, responded to Parnell's message on X, claiming that the city's actions indicate growing political hostility toward Christians in the United States.

"The uncomfortable-for-pastors reality we've been avoiding just openly stating for [around] 30 years: Everywhere Democrats get power, things get much much worse for the church, for Christians, and for the ease/difficulty with which she can fulfill the Great Commission," he said.

Joe Rigney, who helped found Cities Church and pastored there until 2023, said during an interview with Tucker Carlson in January that the attack against Cities Church was an example of "escalating violence on the Left of normal Christian people."

During an interview with Megyn Kelly in March, Parnell said he considers it a blessing that he and his church have fielded slanderous insults and accusations in the months since their service was attacked.

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged 39 people involved in the Cities Church protest with federal civil rights violations, including conspiracy against rights and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

According to an indictment filed in March, the protesters engaged in "a coordinated take-over style attack" on the church, including "acts of oppression, intimidation, threats, interference, and physical obstruction."

Ann Doucette, a member of Cities Church, filed a separate lawsuit in February against Lemon and the protesters, alleging civil conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, aiding and abetting, trespassing and interference with religious exercise.