A livestreamed video posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, one of the protest’s organizers, shows a group of people interrupting services at the Cities Church in St. Paul by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good.” The 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement activities.

The protesters allege that one of the church’s pastors — David Easterwood — also leads the local ICE field office overseeing the operations that have involved violent tactics and illegal arrests.

U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her agency is investigating federal civil rights violations “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.”

“A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws!” she said on social media.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also weighed in on social media, saying that any violations of federal law would be prosecuted.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, who participated in the protest and leads the local grassroots civil rights organization Racial Justice Network, dismissed the potential DOJ investigation as a sham and a distraction from federal agents’ actions in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“When you think about the federal government unleashing barbaric ICE agents upon our community and all the harm that they have caused, to have someone serving as a pastor who oversees these ICE agents, is almost unfathomable to me,” said Armstrong, who added she is an ordained reverend. “If people are more concerned about someone coming to a church on a Sunday and disrupting business as usual than they are about the atrocities that we are experiencing in our community, then they need to check their theology and the need to check their hearts.”

The website of St. Paul-based Cities Church lists David Easterwood as a pastor, and his personal information appears to match that of the David Easterwood identified in court filings as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul field office. Easterwood appeared alongside DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a Minneapolis press conference last October.

Cities Church did not respond to a phone call or emailed request for comment Sunday evening, and Easterwood’s personal contact information could not immediately be located.

Easterwood did not lead the part of the service that was livestreamed, and it was unclear if he was present at the church Sunday.

In a Jan. 5 court filing, Easterwood defended ICE’s tactics in Minnesota such as swapping license plates and spraying protesters with chemical irritants. He wrote that federal agents were experiencing increased threats and aggression and crowd control devices like flash-bang grenades were important to protect against violent attacks. He testified that he was unaware of agents “knowingly targeting or retaliating against peaceful protesters or legal observers with less lethal munitions and/or crowd control devices.”

“Agitators aren’t just targeting our officers. Now they’re targeting churches, too,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency stated. “They’re going from hotel to hotel, church to church, hunting for federal law enforcement who are risking their lives to protect Americans.”

Black Lives Matter Minnesota co-founder Monique Cullars-Doty said that the DOJ’s prosecution was misguided.

“If you got a head — a leader in a church — that is leading and orchestrating ICE raids, my God, what has the world come to?” Cullars-Doty said. “We can’t sit back idly and watch people go and be led astray.”

Universal Music Group has announced the launch of Sound Generation, its new music education initiative designed to expand access to music education for young people around the world.

The programme will debut via a UK pilot before rolling out internationally later this year. It will provide free digital resources to support teachers and students through creativity, collaboration and curriculum-based activity, and aims to address declining participation in music education, particularly among younger students and schools with limited resources.

Built in collaboration with Camden Music Service, part of Camden Learning, a school-led partnership between borough schools and the local authority, the initiative draws directly on the success of Feversham Primary Academy in Bradford. Feversham was placed among the global top 10 in the World’s Best School Prizes in 2023 for its music-led curriculum.

UMG says Sound Generation comprises ten curated activities for Key Stage One students, inspired by Feversham’s approach, which the school leadership says helped drive “significantly improved SATS results at the end of Key Stage Two”.

“Music ignites the spark of true learning, tapping into something deeper than the everyday. The power of music improves maths, English, behaviour and attitudes to learning.”

Jimmy Rotheram, Feversham Primary Academy

Jimmy Rotheram, Music Lead & Naveed Idrees OBE, Headteacher, Feversham Primary Academy, said: “Music ignites the spark of true learning, tapping into something deeper than the everyday. The power of music improves maths, English, behaviour and attitudes to learning. At Feversham, we have harnessed this force of human nature to bring happiness and academic success for everyone. This means daily musical development, a strong curriculum, highly trained staff and parity with numeracy and literacy. The arts are the bedrock of academic success across all subjects, and provide the beating heart of our school.”

“We’re delighted to be working with UMG UK on a project that puts children’s creativity at the heart of learning.”

Gareth Gay, Camden Learning

Developed to deliver the diverse range of skills needed across music creation, the set of digital resources was designed to be easily integrated into primary school lessons, whether delivered by a music teacher with extensive experience or someone at the start of their career. These resources have been created by music teachers, for all teachers, ensuring they are practical, engaging, and grounded in classroom experience.

Gareth Gay, Head of Camden Music Service, Camden Learning, added: “We’re delighted to be working with Universal Music Group UK on a project that puts children’s creativity at the heart of learning. Camden has a long history of innovative, forward-thinking music education, and Sound Generation builds on that spirit by giving teachers fresh ideas, shared expertise, and the confidence to deliver exciting music lessons. Most importantly, it will help more children experience the joy and benefits of a high-quality music education, wherever they are on their musical journey.”

This announcement follows UMG UK’s partnerships with The Reading Agency, and Roundhouse, and marks the next iteration of its work to further music education in the UK.

Commenting on the launch, Sharlotte Ritchie, Senior Director, Global Impact & Communications at UMG, said the company wants to “address this challenge globally” and ensure more children access the developmental benefits of music.

“The benefits of high-quality music education span learning, development, and wellbeing and we want as many young people across the UK – and the world – to have access to this as possible.”

Sharlotte Ritchie, UMG

“We believe all young people should have access to high quality music education – but too often we hear this is not the case. Sound Generation is designed to address this challenge globally. The benefits of high-quality music education span learning, development, and wellbeing and we want as many young people across the UK – and the world – to have access to this as possible. By partnering with the experts at Camden Music Service, and taking inspiration from Feversham Primary Academy, this pilot programme marks our first step in making this a reality.”

“It’s fantastic that Camden is helping to launch the Sound Generation pilot. Our borough has a long and proud history with music, and we know how powerfully it can shape children’s lives.”, added Councillor Marcus Boyland, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families. “This programme gives our teachers new, joyful ways to bring music into the classroom – opening up opportunities for every child to discover their talents, build confidence and develop a love of learning that stays with them. I’m proud that Camden is playing a role in shaping a programme that will soon reach schools across the UK, and I’m excited to see how our pupils grow and thrive.”

The launch comes amid ongoing debate around the future of music education in the UK. In March 2025, Ed Sheeran wrote to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and UK government officials calling for immediate, long-term funding for UK music education.

UMG expects to release further detail on national and international expansion in the next months.Music Business Worldwide

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