Patriot Brief
- Federal authorities charged a sitting school board member for helping organize the disruption of a church service.
- The Justice Department treated the incident as a coordinated civil-rights violation, not spontaneous protest.
- The case underscores growing tensions between political activism and protected religious worship.
Federal agents arrested Chauntyll Louisa Allen on Thursday, and it’s hard to pretend this is just another protest gone sideways.
Allen, a sitting member of the St. Paul Public Schools Board, was taken into custody for her alleged role in the disruption of a Sunday worship service at Cities Church — a moment that should have stopped a lot of people cold long before federal handcuffs ever came into play.
This wasn’t a misunderstanding. It wasn’t a heated exchange that spiraled. According to federal authorities, it was a coordinated effort to shut down a church service, planned and executed under the cover of political activism. Allen was arrested alongside activists Nekima Levy Armstrong and William Kelly, following an investigation ordered by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
That matters — because when the federal government invokes conspiracy and civil rights statutes, it’s saying this crossed from protest into something more serious. And frankly, anyone watching the footage of activists flooding a sanctuary in the middle of worship could already see that line had been crossed.
The charges include violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act — a law often misunderstood but very clear on one point: people have a protected right to access religious services without intimidation or obstruction. Whatever anyone thinks of ICE, immigration policy, or the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good, none of that grants permission to storm a church and silence a congregation.
Video released by independent journalist Nick Sortor shows Allen being escorted into custody by Homeland Security Investigations officers. It’s not dramatic footage, but it is revealing. Allen isn’t some anonymous protester. She serves on the school board’s Equity Committee and Afrocentric School/Program Work Group. She is someone entrusted with public authority, now charged with conspiring to deprive others of their rights.
That contradiction is impossible to ignore.
Earlier this week, Harmeet Dhillon confirmed charges were coming, signaling that the Justice Department was not going to shrug this off as political theater. That warning turned into action on Thursday.
There’s more coming, too. Dhillon responded curtly — “Okay” — when former CNN host Don Lemon appeared to dare authorities to arrest him over his presence at the protest. Whether that goes anywhere remains to be seen, but the message is already clear: places of worship are not fair game.
This case isn’t about suppressing dissent. It’s about boundaries — and the fact that some activists seem to believe those boundaries no longer apply to them. When protest becomes disruption, when outrage becomes intimidation, and when political grievance targets the most basic civil liberties, the law tends to respond.
From Daily Caller:
Federal agents arrested Chauntyll Louisa Allen on Thursday in connection with the disruption of a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday.
Video published by independent journalist Nick Sortor shows the suspect’s perp walk in restraints — agents needed two sets of handcuffs to secure her. Allen is charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, and federal officials said she and two others face conspiracy against rights charges tied to the church protest.
Allen was arrested Thursday alongside activists Nekima Levy Armstrong and William Kelly under orders from Attorney General Pam Bondi. Authorities allege the three played key roles in organizing what they call a “coordinated attack” on the church.
BREAKING — ANOTHER PERP WALK: Chauntyll Louisa Allen has officially been charged with CONSPIRACY TO DEPRIVE RIGHTS due to her role in the St. Paul Church riots
The ringleader, Nekima Levy Armstrong, was also arrested this morning.
They’re in federal custody at the direction… pic.twitter.com/aaTd4mSLAj
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 22, 2026
In the video, a Homeland Security Investigations officer helps Allen from an unmarked vehicle in a parking garage. With her hands cuffed behind her back — one silver handcuff linked to one pink handcuff to accommodate her size — Allen adjusts her clothing before the officer directs her forward. The officer places a beanie on her head before they approach a door.
Photo Credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images