Maddi O'Neill
@MaddiONeill
Freelancer covering criminal justice in Baltimore. Reach me securely: [email protected]
Remember how Gov. Wes Moore vetoed lawmakers’ reparations bill this year? Turns out there was more to that story. Lawmakers told us the governor wanted to put his own stamp on it. tinyurl.com/2ke4cxcj By @pwoodreporter & me @BaltimoreBanner
Before Maryland Gov. Wes Moore vetoed studying reparations for the state’s role in slavery and discrimination, he had privately drawn up his own order to create a study commission. @WintrodeBrenda & I take you behind the scenes in Annapolis: thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power…
Records show that Maryland officials have known about the existence of this lost cemetery since at least the 1970s. Yet the graves of more than 100 Black children remain abandoned, mostly unmarked and deteriorating in an overgrown forest. Read here: washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/…
The story of being unsheltered in Baltimore is one largely rooted in trauma and the government’s failure to protect its most vulnerable. Read my latest for @baltbeat ⬇️ baltimorebeat.com/its-easier-out…
I assume everybody has read this one by now but if you haven’t, you really must
When we were planning the surprise of Mahmoud and Zohran at Ramy’s show, I asked @NifMuhammad to come witness it. I had a feeling he might find the words I couldn’t. What he wrote is something I’ll carry with me for a long time. newyorker.com/news/essay/zoh…
JUST IN: Judge restrains LAPD from using nonlethal munitions against journalists, detaining or assaulting journalists covering protests or restricting their movements under most circumstances.. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…
In a split decision, the 4th Circuit vacated former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s mortgage fraud conviction but upheld her perjury convictions. thedailyrecord.com/2025/07/11/mar…
.@koriskillman comes to us from @Report4America. She started this week.
Story w/ @koriskillman for @baltbeat: Baltimore police forced entry through two different doors and shouted commands at 70-year-old Pytorcarcha Brooks, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, before fatally shooting her on June 25: baltimorebeat.com/baltimore-poli…
Story w/ @koriskillman for @baltbeat: Baltimore police forced entry through two different doors and shouted commands at 70-year-old Pytorcarcha Brooks, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, before fatally shooting her on June 25: baltimorebeat.com/baltimore-poli…
Dreaming of a world where actual journalists can make the same amount as political communications people.
.@MayorBMScott's communications chief, Kamau Marshall, is OUT at City Hall. tinyurl.com/2s468aws He stepped down abruptly today after six months on the job. @KamauMandela
The @baltimoresun fires its longtime cartoonist - Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher. tinyurl.com/4at8yfbb It stung, the two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist said, but "it was only a matter of time" before the Sun's conservative owner made his move.
Mother of Dontae Melton Jr., man who died in police custody, says the system failed her son baltimorebeat.com/mother-of-dont…
Before BPD killed a 70-year-old woman in crisis, a relative who sought court intervention was hindered by fees baltimorebeat.com/before-bpd-kil…
Before BPD killed a 70-year-old woman in crisis, a relative who sought court intervention was hindered by fees baltimorebeat.com/before-bpd-kil…
NEW for @baltbeat: Weeks before Baltimore police fatally shot a 70-year-old woman experiencing a mental health crisis, one of her relatives tried to pursue legal guardianship — only to be stymied when a judge declined to waive the filing fee. baltimorebeat.com/before-bpd-kil…
Judge gives Baltimore more time to decide if it will take smaller payout in opioid lawsuit (via @MaddiONeill) thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power…
I think this is the craziest placement of the RLong graffiti tag in Baltimore
“My participation in this harmful farce left a stink on me that won’t soon wash off.” "So, since history doesn’t smile on people who say they were only following orders as they operationalized human rights abuses, I left …”
Maryland’s now former head of the Department of Juvenile Services called out the state for its “draconian law that results in about 1,000 young people a year ... getting automatically tried as adults and incarcerated, at least initially, in adult jails.” baltimoresun.com/2025/06/26/sch…