DOJ arrests 21-year-old student activist who helped Don Lemon with Minneapolis protest coverage

The GoFundMe page for Jerome Richardson’s legal defense has already raised over $11,000.

Jerome Deangelo Richardson, a 21-year-old Temple University student and activist, was arrested by federal agents on Monday in connection to an anti-ICE protest that took place at a church in Minnesota.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Richardson’s arrest, along with Ian Davis Austin, on Monday. The Trump official wrote on X, “If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you.”

A GoFundMe page in support of Richardson says he turned himself in Monday morning in Philadelphia.

Richardson is facing the same criminal charges against independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, as well as Minneapolis activists Nekima Ivy Armstrong, Chauntyll Allen and others, who were charged with civil rights conspiracy and of interfering with First Amendment religious rights under the FACE Act.

The arrests of Lemon and Fort ignited outrage from civil rights and advocacy groups who rebuked the Trump administration for violating the journalists’ First Amendment rights as members of the constitutional free press.

Richardson, who says he helped Lemon with coordination on the ground as he covered anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis, shared in a video last week that he was anticipating federal authorities taking him in custody based on the indictment against Lemon and others. The young activist defended his actions related to the Cities Church protest, which called out Pastor David Easterwood for his role as an interim ICE field director.

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“This is the price of being unapologetic about humanity and love of Christ. I support the activists who felt compelled to highlight the hypocrisy of how Pastor David Easterwood could simultaneously be a pastor at the church and the local leader of ICE operations. What people are experiencing goes against human and civil rights as well as the teachings of Jesus, who indeed flipped over tables,” said the college senior.

Richardson explained that he “assisted” Don Lemon with “logistics” and “local context” as the award-winning journalist traveled to Minneapolis to cover the community’s protests against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and subsequent violent encounters with ICE and Border Patrol officers.

“I was proud to support his work in exposing the everyday injustices resulting from the federal government’s agenda,” said the young activist, who said he was not being “targeted” as a “consequence” of that support. However, Richardson said he was “incredibly proud” of Lemon, Fort, and the others who have since been arrested and charged by the federal government.

“I know this fight is far from over [and] their courage has certainly inspired me,” he said.

Ahead of his arrest, Richardson urged the public to support him by praying for his safety and “peace of mind,” and adding, “Do not stop fighting against this oppressive system.” Richardson also asked for help funding his legal defense, explaining that he is in “dire need.”

The GoFundMe page for Richardson’s legal defense has already raised over $11,000.