Phoenix cop arrests black Wall Street Journal reporter after being accused of trespassing. Then the city pays $100,000 in apology: ‘jumped the gun’
He committed no crime, and Phoenix paid the price.
A Phoenix police officer arrested Black Wall Street Journal reporter Dion Rabouin, and the writer later received a $100,000 settlement. The officer accused Rabouin of trespassing while he interviewed bank customers about their savings habits in 2022. Chase Bank employees discovered that Rabouin was a Wall Street Journal reporter and called the police. The Atlanta Black Star reports that officer Caleb Zimmerman took the reporter’s ID and handcuffed him.
Rabouin contended that he had broken no laws while completing his assignment at the bank. The reporter was never formally charged with a crime. The City of Phoenix later approved a $100,000 settlement with Rabouin. In court, Zimmerman argued that he had probable cause to arrest the reporter based on the employee complaint, while Rabouin argued that the employees never asked him to leave and that the sidewalk outside was public property.
Phoenix’s City Council approved the settlement in a 9-0 vote on September 9. The settlement allows Phoenix to admit no wrongdoing. Bodycam footage of the incident also complicated the case against Rabouin, showing the officer’s interaction with the reporter as tensions rose during the encounter.
Reporter nets massive settlement over police mistreatment
This entire matter was complicated by Zimmerman threatening to arrest a bystander. Kately Parady saw Rabouin being detained and told the police officer that the reporter didn’t do anything wrong. All of these factors led to Rabouin filing a complaint with the Phoenix Police Department in 2022. He claimed that Zimmerman had used excessive force. Other arguments included the unlawful detainment and racial profiling. That last assertion came up in the attorney’s statement after the case was settled. Arizona has had big settlements with disgruntled residents in recent years.
Rabouin’s attorney Benjamin Taylor said, “The elephant in the room is the fact that the City of Phoenix Police Department has been investigated by the Department of Justice… And the Department of Justice has found that they have racially profiled people and infringed on people’s First Amendment rights.”
When reviewing the body camera footage and conducting an internal investigation, the Phoenix Police Department shared their findings. An official statement to The Phoenix New Times reads: “While a written reprimand [of Zimmerman] would be appropriate for the policy violation noted, the lack of clarity in policy, and the fact that the incident did not involve malicious intent, repeat offenses, or a reckless or willful disregard for policy, the decision has been made to require the officer to receive training.”
As the internal investigation concluded, The Wall Street Journal issued its own statement. The Phoenix Police Department determined that there was no profiling involved, but Wall Street Journal communications manager Caitlyn Reuss said the newspaper was unsatisfied with that conclusion. “The video speaks for itself. The Phoenix Police Department handcuffed our journalist and placed him in the back of a police vehicle simply for reporting,” Reuss said. “That is outrageous, no matter the outcome of the internal investigation.”
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