WSJ Claims Arizona Cops Handcuffed, Detained Black Reporter

A finance reporter for The Wall Street Journal was handcuffed and detained by Phoenix police officers last November, according to a letter sent by the newspaper’s editor-in-chief. The letter, written by Matt Murray and first reported Wednesday by ABC15 Arizona, is postmarked Dec. 7, 2022, two weeks after the alleged encounter. Dion Rabouin, a Black journalist, was first approached by a police officer as he stood on the sidewalk outside a Chase bank branch, interviewing passersby, according to the letter. The officer informed Rabouin he was trespassing before putting him in handcuffs and placing him in the back of a squad car. Rabouin was released soon after, with the officer informing him he would be arrested and charged if he did not leave the scene. Telling Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan that he was “appalled and concerned” by the incident, Murray added, “Such conduct is offensive to civil liberties, and also a pretty good news story.” A Journal spokesperson said in a statement to The Daily Beast that the newspaper is “deeply concerned” about Rabouin’s treatment and that it had asked the police department to launch a review of the incident. “We await their response,” the statement read. “No journalist should ever be detained simply for exercising their First Amendment rights.”