Was Steven Monacelli Accused of Harassment by Dallas Activists

1. The accusation: Dallas activists, as quoted in the Dallas Express, alleged racist harassment

Reporting in the Dallas Express published claims from a local activist group — identified in subsequent coverage as Dallas Justice Now — that Steven Monacelli had targeted activists with racist harassment and conspiracy theories; that Dallas Express article is the primary public source of the accusation against Monacelli ^[1].

2. The subject’s response: Monacelli denies and calls it defamation

Monacelli has publicly disputed the accusations, asserting that Dallas Justice Now and the Dallas Express effectively defamed him by claiming, without basis, that he committed racist harassment and domestic abuse; he characterizes the articles as retaliation after his reporting uncovered connections between the group and a Republican political firm ^{[2] [3] [5]}.

3. The broader reporting: allegations of astroturfing and paid operatives

Independent reporting and Monacelli’s own work tie Dallas Justice Now to a larger scheme: Monacelli reported that the group was linked to Crowds on Demand, a marketing firm that hires actors to portray activists, and that those operations were connected to Monty Bennett, the publisher of the Dallas Express — an allegation Monacelli and other outlets have published and which underpins his claim that the accusations against him were manufactured ^{[2] [5]}.

4. Corrections, retractions and journalistic pushback

Monacelli’s reporting on the episode prompted pushback from other local outlets; for example, the Dallas Observer issued a correction to Monacelli’s reporting about the linkage between actors, groups, and the Keep Dallas Safe organization, and media coverage reflects disputes over accuracy in parts of Monacelli’s reporting about the episode ^{[6] [7]}.

5. Legal escalation: defamation litigation and court records

The dispute spilled into litigation: court filings show that Montgomery J. Bennett and the Dallas Express sued Monacelli for libel/defamation, and there is a recorded appeal in the Texas courts (Monacelli and The Dallas Weekly, Inc. v. Montgomery J. Bennett and Dallas Express Media, Inc.) reflecting that the accusations and counterclaims were litigated in Texas courts ^{[4] [8]}.

6. Independent context on Monacelli’s journalism and prior incidents

Monacelli is an active local investigative journalist with bylines and affiliations noted on his site and on platforms like Muck Rack and the Dallas Weekly; his record includes other confrontational episodes with institutions and law enforcement, such as his 2020 arrest while covering a protest and subsequent legal action against the City of Dallas, matters documented in court dockets and press-freedom trackers ^{[9] [5] [10] [11]}.

7. How to weigh competing claims: burden, provenance and limits of available reporting

The record shows a contested factual field: the Dallas Express published activist-sourced accusations ^[1], Monacelli says those accusations were false and part of an astroturf campaign tied to Crowds on Demand and Bennett ^{[2] [5]}, and at least one mainstream outlet corrected aspects of related reporting ^[6]. Public court filings confirm litigation, but the sourced materials provided here do not fully resolve the truth of the harassment claims themselves — the available documents demonstrate accusation, denial, alleged astroturfing and legal fights, not an uncontested adjudication of whether Monacelli did or did not harass activists ^{[1] [2] [4] [6]}.

8. Bottom line

Yes — Steven Monacelli was publicly accused of racist harassment by Dallas activists quoted in the Dallas Express; those accusations are disputed by Monacelli, who argues they were fabricated or amplified as part of an astroturf and disinformation campaign tied to parties associated with the Dallas Express, and the dispute has produced corrections in local reporting and at least one defamation lawsuit in the Texas courts ^{[1] [2] [4] [6]}.