School board member, Christ Kirk DC 'paid agitator' identified as part of Minn. church protest group
Chantyll Allen, William Kelly seen confronting churchgoers in viral video
Quick Summary
- Local school board member Chantyll Allen and activist William Kelly were part of a group that stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- Protesters demanded justice for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by a federal immigration officer as she drove into him.
- The U.S. Department of Justice will investigate potential federal crimes related to the church incursion.
A Minnesota school board member and a serial church agitator have been identified as part of the Black Lives Matter-affiliated group that stormed a Southern Baptist church during Sunday service.
Chantyll Allen, who serves as a member of the Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) Board of Education, was caught on video entering Cities Church in St. Paul on Sunday to protest after learning that one of its pastors serves as a federal immigration enforcement agent.
A crowd of protesters, including members of the Racial Justice Network and Black Lives Matter Minnesota, entered the sanctuary of Cities Church, chanted slogans such as "ICE out!" and demanded justice for Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman who was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by a federal immigration officer after she hit him with her vehicle.
A livestream shared Jan. 18 by Black Lives Matter (BLM) Minnesota showed Allen, along with several other members of the anti-ICE mob shouting as church members stood up from their seats and made their way out of the sanctuary.
The protest, reportedly organized by BLM, also led to a confrontation between Cities Church Senior Pastor Jonathan Parnell and former CNN reporter Don Lemon. The protesters were upset that one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, leads a local ICE field office in St. Paul.
The U.S. Department of Justice has vowed to investigate potential federal crimes that occurred during the incursion, including potential violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act).
Allen — who is seen in the video standing alongside BLM activist Nekima Armstrong — is listed as an SPPS board member on the district’s website. Earlier this month, the SPPS board posted a statement calling on ICE to “leave our community immediately,” and expressed sympathy with Good.
The SPPS school board did not respond to repeated requests for comment Wednesday from The Christian Post.
She has participated in protests with Armstrong in the past and was tagged in the activist’s post on Sunday’s church invasion, along with another Minnesota protester, William Kelly.
Kelly, who goes by "DaWokeFarmer" on social media, was captured in video calling Cities Church members “pretend Christians” and “comfortable white people” as he berated them for attending Sunday service. “You’re sinners; you’re pretending to be Christians,” he told two men during the service.
Kelly also reportedly harassed churchgoers at Christ Kirk in Washington, D.C., a church planted by Pastor Doug Wilson of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho.
Calling Kelly a “paid professional agitator,” Christ Kirk DC confirmed in a Jan. 19 post that Kelly has “harassed the saints…for months” at the church plant.
Justin Overbaugh, a senior official in the U.S. Department of War, also confirmed Kelly as a repeat agitator at the church. In response to the viral video, Overbaught wrote in a Jan. 18 post: “Ahhh I see DaWokeFarmer a.k.a William Scott Kelly, is harassing parishioners in MN. We’ve missed him outside @ChristKirkDC stalking us after service. Tell the good folks in the twin cities to send him back.”
Following the standoff, the elders of Cities Church issued a statement affirming that "Jesus is real" while condemning the protesters' behavior. "On Sunday, January 18, a group of agitators jarringly disrupted our worship gathering. They accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat," the statement said.
"Such conduct is shameful, unlawful, and will not be tolerated. Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus — or any other act of worship — is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation."
Noting that Jesus "offers a love that transcends cultures, borders, policies, and politics," the elders added that "church buildings are meant to be places of peace and solace, where worshipers can hear and live out this message" and called on law enforcement at all levels "to protect this fundamental right."
President Donald Trump touched on the incident Tuesday during a rare appearance in the White House press briefing room on the first anniversary of his second inauguration, but stopped short of pledging action on behalf of the federal government.
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ian.giatti@christianpost.com.
