Local News

After a Black man said he was wrongfully detained by Arlington police, settlement aims to eliminate racial profiling

Donovan Johnson of Somerville was compensated, but Arlington Police will also be implementing reforms to eliminate racial profiling.

February 1, 2024

2 minutes to read

A young Black man who said Arlington police wrestled him to the ground and handcuffed him while officers were chasing a white suspect settled a civil rights lawsuit with the town this month, his lawyers said.

Donovan Johnson of Somerville received compensation from the town, and Arlington Police will implement reforms aimed at eliminating racial profiling as part of the settlement, according to Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), who filed the suit.

The suit named the Town of Arlington and three police officers.

“As I put this haunting experience behind me, I hope that both the individual officers and the department learn from the new training and policy developments we have implemented,” Johnson said. “This is a nightmare that I will live with, but I am proud that my experience will improve police relations with communities of color and raise awareness about police interactions.”

As part of the settlement, the Arlington police are mandated to participate in annual training on implicit bias, de-escalation, and cultural competency, according to LCR. The department will hire a consultant to analyze their policy against racial profiling, and the department will share law enforcement data by race on their website.

In February 2021, then-20-year-old Johnson was walking toward his Somerville home when the white man that Arlington police were chasing passed him on Cross Street, according to the lawsuit’s complaint.

Arlington Officer Steven Conroy grabbed Johnson, tackled him to the ground face-first, and placed his knee on his neck, the complaint said, while the white man they were chasing was “left unattended.” The man said he didn’t know Johnson.

Johnson was not read his Miranda rights, the complaint said, and another Officer Brendan Flynn “walked over to Mr. Johnson, pulled down his facemask, and coerced Mr. Johnson to silence him by jamming his finger and the facemask in Mr. Johnson’s mouth.”

Johnson was brought to a hotel, which the officers were chasing the white man from, before he was released, “leaving him to find his own way home,” according to the complaint.

The complaint also alleged that Conroy fabricated a link between Johnson and the man they were chasing after the incident.

Arlington Police Chief Julie Flaherty said in an email that the department. “reached a settlement and mutually agreed to bring this matter to a resolution.” Flaherty would not say if Flynn, Conroy, and Stephen Porciello, a third defendant, are still employed by the department.

“Mr. Johnson was a victim of a quintessential racial profiling case. He was presumed guilty simply for walking while being Black,” said Mirian Albert, a senior attorney at LCR. “It has been a challenging journey for Mr. Johnson, but his resilience has spurred positive changes not only in his own encounters with the police but also for his community.”