Was Steven Monacelli accused of being a racist by Dallas Justice Now and did Monacelli discover Dallas Justice Now was linked to a Fepublican PR firm and Crowds on Demand
Executive summary
Steven Monacelli was publicly accused of racist harassment by groups amplified in the Dallas Express and by an organization calling itself Dallas Justice Now; those accusations were published in the Dallas Express and echoed by Dallas Justice Now leaders in 2023 and 2024 [1] [2]. Monacelli, reporting for outlets including the Texas Observer and the Dallas Observer, says his reporting uncovered evidence that Dallas Justice Now was not an organic activist group but part of an astroturf network linked to a Republican political firm and Crowds on Demand, a protest-for-hire company; that linkage has been reported by the Texas Observer and local outlets and acknowledged in part by sources tied to the firms involved, while the accused backers have disputed the framing and sued Monacelli [3] [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. The accusations: what Dallas Justice Now and the Dallas Express alleged
In October 2023 and March 2024 the Dallas Express published pieces quoting Dallas Justice Now leaders accusing Steven Monacelli (and other local journalists) of racist harassment and describing them as “racist white vigilantes,” language directly attributed to Dallas Justice Now co-leadership and republished by the Express [1] [2]. Those pieces present Dallas Justice Now’s denunciations as the basis for the claims against Monacelli, and the Dallas Express coverage repeatedly framed Monacelli as the target of those activist complaints [1] [2].
2. Monacelli’s reporting and his claim of discovery
Monacelli says his investigative work—published in places including the Texas Observer and the Dallas Observer—found evidence that raised serious doubts about Dallas Justice Now’s authenticity and showed ties between the Dallas Justice Now website and conservative operatives, including a Republican political firm and campaign contractors; Monacelli’s accounts of that reporting appear on his website and in his bylines [4] [5]. Local reporting contemporaneous to Monacelli’s work documented unusual indicators about the group’s origins and amplification, noting that journalists could not find normal traces of grassroots organization and that the Dallas Justice Now website had documented connections to a Republican company [6].
3. Crowds on Demand, Monty Bennett, and the astroturf allegation
Subsequent and overlapping reporting, notably in the Texas Observer and later coverage, traced payments and operational links from hospitality executive Monty Bennett to a network of groups amplified in the Dallas Express, and reported that Crowds on Demand—a company known for supplying paid demonstrators—was involved in creating or staffing some of those groups, including Dallas Justice Now and other similarly branded outfits [3] [5] [7] [8]. KTBS and the Observer reporting documented that a political vendor acknowledged some connections and that Arena (a vendor) said it had abandoned the client after learning its intentions, which lent corroboration to the claim that the Dallas Justice Now site was entwined with paid political operations rather than an independent grassroots formation [6] [5].
4. Legal fights, denials, and competing narratives
Monty Bennett and the Dallas Express pushed back hard: Bennett contested elements of the reporting, sued Monacelli for defamation, and publicly denied the broader conspiracy framing while conceding limited business relationships with vendor companies; according to Monacelli’s account and follow-up reporting, Bennett lost the defamation suit and the broader pattern of payments to Crowds on Demand and related activity remained part of the Observer’s and Texas Observer’s reporting record [3] [7]. The Dallas Express’s coverage nevertheless continued to publish Dallas Justice Now’s accusations against Monacelli, and the Express and its backers portrayed Monacelli’s investigations as conspiratorial—demonstrating a contested media ecosystem where both sides accuse the other of misinformation and motive-driven reporting [7] [8].
5. Assessment and limits of the record
The factual through-line supported by the available reporting is twofold: Dallas Justice Now (as represented in Dallas Express pieces) accused Monacelli of racist harassment, and Monacelli’s investigations—backed by reporting in the Texas Observer and corroborating local outlets—reported ties between Dallas Justice Now, a Republican political firm, and Crowds on Demand, a firm that provides paid protesters; parts of those linkages were acknowledged or documented in reporting, while Bennett and allied outlets disputed the implications and litigated the dispute [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]. Available sources do not settle every detail—some denials and litigation remain part of the record—so while the accusation against Monacelli by Dallas Justice Now is documented and Monacelli’s discovery of links to Republican operatives and Crowds on Demand is supported by multiple investigative reports, the parties involved offer sharply different interpretations and continue to contest motive and intent in public filings and coverage [3] [5] [7].