A local “freelancer” and the editor of D Magazine, according to the co-president of Dallas Justice Now (DJN), have been accused of insulting the character of the co-president and that of other black individuals.
In the words of DJN Co-President Ndure Cain, “like other racist white vigilantes, Steven Monacelli continues to deny my very existence and personhood, despite the fact that he can see for himself on social media that I am actively engaged in the community on a daily basis meeting with artists, activists, church leaders, and others.”
‘Freelancer’ Steven Monacelli, who has written for the Dallas Observer and D Magazine, accused DJN of being a “fake” social justice group in an essay that was published on July 28 and quickly went viral. After the DJN’s executives declined to grant Monacelli an interview, he questioned whether they really existed. In a separate incident, the non-profit ownership group of Dallas Express Media, Inc. has filed a defamation complaint against Monacelli on behalf of the newspaper.
Tim Rogers is the editor of D Magazine, which is owned by Allison Publications, which had a lawsuit against a black journalist who was investigating alleged racist conduct by D Magazine rejected in October. The black writer had been researching alleged racist actions by D Magazine.
In court, Maya Pembledon claimed that D Magazine utilised their complaint against her to silence her, in violation of the Texas Citizens Participation Act, which was originally published by the Dallas Express. Allison Publications and Tim Rogers were sanctioned by District Court Judge James “Jim” Johnson, who agreed with Pembledon’s findings.
Regarding the allegations that DJN is a “fake,” Cain responded that Monacelli’s interrogation of DJN is reminiscent of the Jim Crow era of American history, during which black people were required to prove themselves by scoring 100 percent on nearly impossible tests just to exercise their right to vote, according to the Washington Post.
According to Cain, “like the killers of Ahmaud Arbery, Monacelli believes he has the right to just approach black folks and demand that we ‘explain ourselves’ and our presence to him,” he said in a telephone conversation. “Monacelli deserves an apology to me, my brothers, and sisters for his repeated insults on our character.”
Cain singled out Monacelli and Rogers in a letter to the DJN that was sent out this week.
“Fake journalists, such as Tim Rogers D Magazine and Steven Monacelli, have requested that DJN provide answers to interrogatory inquiries concerning our donors and volunteers. “Do they ask the same of white groups?” says the author. Cain penned a letter. “Of course not,” says the author. Because we are black and communicating to white folks, it is presumed that our goals are malicious in nature. Tim Rogers and Steven Monacelli, like the assassins of Ahmaud Arbery, believe they have the right to approach black people and demand that we explain our very existence in this world. As I stated last week, we owe absolutely nothing to individuals of European descent. Their multi-million-dollar mansions are built on property that belonged to my Native ancestors. “They were constructed via the enslavement of forced slave labour from my black ancestors,” says the author.
When asked why DJN is pursuing him, Monacelli responded in an email, saying, “I’m not sure what the purpose behind it is because they’ve refused to speak with me and other journalists on several times.” When questioned by the media why DJN is targeting him, Rogers declined to answer. But DJN is now in conversation with The Dallas Express.
According to Cain, he has been walking around Park Cities, a predominately white suburb of Dallas, in recent months, urging citizens to fulfil the college commitment letter that was supposedly maligned in a storey published by Monacelli for the Dallas Observer.
According to Cain’s letter, “I am faced with insults, abuse, and threats to call the police in many situations from self-proclaimed ‘liberals’ who profess to side with Black Lives Matter but have done nothing to help us,” he said. If you view the footage of Ahmaud’s murder, you will witness the anxiety that every black person feels when travelling through a predominantly white area. Ahmaud was a well-known athlete out for a jog when he was forced to ‘explain himself’ to three white vigilantes who approached him. These vigilantes murdered him in cold blood because he was unable to ‘explain himself’ in a way that they found acceptable. So, where does it come from when white people insist on making our sheer existence in their areas a “explanation”?
Tim Rogers, the editor of D Magazine, continues to be embroiled in controversy following claims of racism levelled against him by Ms. Pembledon and now by Mr. Cain.