Michael D. Pitman

1. There is no First Amd right - of protest OR of the press - to enter a house of worship and shut down a religious service. Lemon had no “right” to be there, as a journalist or protester. 2. Churches have statutory protection under the FACE Act that make it clear that disrupting/interfering with the service/access of parishioners to the service is a criminal act. You don’t get a pass just bc you say “oh, I intended to come in here - where I am not allowed - to interfere with your church service by sticking a mic in ppl’s faces, but it is ok bc I’m doing it for my YouTube channel!” 3. If lemon had stayed on the sidewalk, as every journo knows we must do when covering a story on private property unless we have advance permission to enter (we all deal with this - it’s a pain in the neck to get permission sometimes, and it often means we miss the best pictures BUT WE COMPLY WITH THE LAW BC WE ALL KNOW PRIVATE PROPERTY CHANGES OUR RIGHTS), this would be a different case. He didn’t. He trespassed, and not just into a private home or business (which could have resulted in a trespass case) - but into a church in the middle of a service, which unfortunately for Lemon invokes all sorts of ROCK SOLID rights of the church-goers. In short, he chose the wrong event to storm. Ppl were hurt. They were scared. He knew it and his comments on cam prove he knew it. He broke the law. He’s not only going to be prosecuted, he’s going to be sued. For a lot of money. And he should.