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Maddi O’Neill

@maddioneill.bsky.social
1.1K followers 584 following 535 posts

Freelance criminal justice reporter in Baltimore. Yes, I can find that court record for you. Hire me: madeleineoneill.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Folks, I've seen enough. It's time to wrap it up on the BROS cornrows story
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Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Oh no Gen Z is going to learn how fucked up tv was. They’re going to learn that we had psychics on the news like they were legitimate sources of information
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
NEW in my ongoing coverage of police oversight in Baltimore: an ex-police accountability official says BPD Deputy Commissioner Brian Nadeau pushed her to retract discipline against high-ranking officers in her first weeks on the job. For @baltimorebrew.bsky.social: baltimorebrew.com/2026/09/28/e...
baltimorebrew.com
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m a x @maxgrobinson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Next month, we’re screening MANIAC COP at Peabody Heights Brewery! Come for the movie, stay for a discussion with authors David Simmons (Ghosts of East Baltimore), Joshua Davis (Police Against the Movement) and Brandon Soderberg (I Got a Monster). 10/22 at 7pm Event poster by Nick Difabbio!
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
New for @baltimorebrew.bsky.social: Baltimore’s civilian Police Accountability Board relies on the police department’s internal investigations to impose discipline and remains dependent on City Hall to operate. Who’s at fault for that?: baltimorebrew.com/2026/09/18/b...
baltimorebrew.com
Baltimore’s Police Accountability Board wades into Conway fracas, calls for greater independence | Baltimore Brew
The 17-member board, set up to handle citizen complaints of police misconduct, is dependent on the police investigating themselves.
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I’m calling the catio a success
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m a x @maxgrobinson.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Tonight at Fadensonnen! Doors at 6/movies at 7
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Thank you @404media.co for republishing my story for @courtwatch.bsky.social about the network of volunteers working to make immigration-related habeas corpus petitions available online! www.404media.co/how-a-networ...
404media.co
How a Network of Volunteers Is Liberating Critical Court Records for Everyone
Habeas Dockets are publishing immigration court records that normally aren't available online.
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Seung Min Kim @seungminkim1.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — Editor of Stars and Stripes says he is being fired for insubordination after saying any censorship is a 'red line.'
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
New for @thebaltimorebanner.com: Can Baltimore really sue Mount Vernon publishing giant Agora over how it treats customers? The answer might hinge on local families like the Vaydas. Story: www.thebanner.com/economy/balt...
thebanner.com
Baltimore’s fight with Agora tests the limits of its new consumer protection powers
Baltimore is testing its new consumer protection powers in a lawsuit against Agora, alleging it gave predatory investment advice that targeted older adults. While the city lawsuit does not name local ...
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m a x @maxgrobinson.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
“A company representative told him he’d find the information if he paid $2,500 for a newsletter called Agora Seven Figures. The retiree paid, but never found what he was looking for. His wife died the following year, and Agora Financial never refunded his money, he said in an affidavit.”
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Julie Bykowicz @bykowicz.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Big new story by @maddioneill.bsky.social
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
New for @baltimorebrew.bsky.social: Nearly every member of Baltimore’s Police Accountability Board is in an “expired term” and must re-apply for their post, City Hall told the board last month. Critics see political interference. More: baltimorebrew.com/2026/08/17/c...
baltimorebrew.com
City says most of Baltimore’s Police Accountability Board is up for reappointment – critics see political interference | Baltimore Brew
Mayor’s office says the move follows the City Charter. Others say it’s an attempt to oust “thorn in the side” members who have called for the panel to have more independence.
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Formerly FoxForceFlacco @bmoreorless.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This kind of story is why I’m a Beat supporter. No other journalistic outlet in the city has asked this kind of obvious question and dug into the clear illegality of this new policy that seemingly materialized overnight with no public discussion
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Lee Gardner @leegee.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Fells Point’s streets and sidewalks are public property, last I looked, meaning open to the public.
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
New from me for @baltimorebeat.bsky.social: After we started asking questions, the city claimed that Fells Points residents can pass through the checkpoints without ID. But when I went to Fells this weekend, the security personnel said they had to ID "everyone."
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m a x @maxgrobinson.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Next month, I’m teaming up with @alexlei.bsky.social of @bruisermag.com for a double feature of Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man and Tetsuo II: Body Hammer upstairs at Fadensonnen in Baltimore. 8/26 at 7pm; $10 suggested donation See you there…
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brandon soderberg @bsoderberg.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
"-involved shooting" was the kind of language news outlets "reckoned with" post-2020 then didn't actually and began using even more, according to data analysis by @steadynappin.bsky.social and I. A remarkable failing of the media that now extends to ICE coverage... www.huffpost.com/entry/police...
huffpost.com
Major Media Outlets Can’t Stop Describing Police Violence As ‘Officer-Involved’ Incidents
Following the murder of George Floyd, The Associated Press issued guidance that reporters should not describe instances where police shot someone with neutral language. It didn't work.
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Goth or Ostro-goth @edwardericsonjr.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
www.baltimorebrew.com/2026/07/15/m...
baltimorebrew.com
Mayor Scott’s pick to review SideStep program has a checkered past, but plenty of ties to City Hall | Baltimore Brew
Karl Racine, who resigned under pressure last year as federal monitor of the Cleveland Police Department, was selected by the mayor and by a former subordinate at Venable LLP, Ebony Thompson.
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Great accountability reporting from @baltimorebrew.bsky.social about the lawyer City Hall hired to examine the SideStep youth diversion program (instead of the OIG): baltimorebrew.com/2026/07/15/m...
baltimorebrew.com
Mayor Scott’s pick to review SideStep program has a checkered past, but plenty of ties to City Hall | Baltimore Brew
Karl Racine, who resigned under pressure last year as federal monitor of the Cleveland Police Department, was selected by the mayor and by a former subordinate at Venable LLP, Ebony Thompson.
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m a x @maxgrobinson.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
NOW AVAILABLE FROM ANURAN PRESS Physical/digital copies of film zines “Kinema: A Japan Travelogue” and “Drying Out at the Movies” + Kinema stickers, Onomichi photo prints and a Nightmare Alley chirashi poster by @ramonvillalobos.bsky.social anuranpress.bigcartel.com
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Dan Belson @danbelson.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Hoping to keep jurors engaged, some lawyers have turned to actors to read out trial/deposition transcripts in court when live witnesses aren’t available. Others, including the judge in this case, believe it’s more distracting than helpful. Read more: thedailyrecord.com/2026/07/06/c...
thedailyrecord.com
No theatrics: Actors can’t perform 1992 Baltimore trial for civil suit jury, judge rules
Paid actors won't be allowed to reenact portions of a 1992 murder trial in court for a civil jury charged with deciding whether Baltimore Police are liable for violating the now-exonerated defendant's...
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
New story for @baltimorebeat.bsky.social: Maryland's Child Victims Act helped uncover allegations of sexual abuse in the juvenile justice system and the Catholic church. A small subset of CVA lawsuits also reveals another source of abuse: police officers. baltimorebeat.com/marylands-ch...
baltimorebeat.com
Maryland’s Child Victims Act lawsuits revealed another source of sexual abuse: the police
When Brianna’s uncle died in 2024, she stumbled onto a collection of papers that took her 20 years back in time, back to when she was a frightened 12-year-old girl sitting in Baltimore’s social servic...
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Rebecca J. Ritzel @rjritzel.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Lavish personal spending, 2/3 staff turnover and massive production cost overuns. My @notus.com debut is a 10-day investigation into why Hana Sharif resigned from Arena Stage. www.notus.org/metro/arena-...
notus.org
Money Problems and Clashes With Staff: Inside Arena Stage Director’s Exit
Former employees describe the tenure of artistic director Hana S. Sharif, who resigned last month, as "three years of terror."
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m a x @maxgrobinson.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
It’s aliiiiive Anuran Press is: 🐸 zines posters prints stickers vintage magazines toys and more 🐸 Launching Monday, July 6 at noon at anuranpress.bigcartel.com
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Madisyn Parisi (they/them) @madisyn-writes.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Been meaning to share this for awhile now, but this story from @maddioneill.bsky.social is still relevant. Maddi’s a great reporter based here in MD and has been quite consistent about staying on these ICE accountability stories. She’s also just a real one. PS: Even the snails say fuck ICE.
slate.com
One State Has an Ingenious New Strategy for Blocking the Opening of an ICE Detention Warehouse
Tucked away in rural western Maryland, past a dead-end road cut off by railroad tracks, a stream runs cool and clear over a ledge dotted with snails.
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Carla Astudillo @carla-astudi.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Updated the @propublica.org habeas tracker for the week. While the number of new habeas cases every week has begun to slow from the peak earlier this year, there are still thousands of cases being filed nationwide – higher than it was even a year prior. projects.propublica.org/habeas-track...
A bar chart showing that starting on October 2025, the habeas cases filed every week started to increase, reaching a peak of 2,290 habeas weekly cases in early 2026.
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
🎉 My nominee won the top prize at today’s @ire.org banquet!
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brandon soderberg @bsoderberg.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Supreme Court ruling that cannabis users can also legally possess firearms is another example of Bruen expanding people's 2a/4a rights. Recently, Hicks v. MD: Court ruled police cannot see someone with a gun and assume they illegally possess it and stop them. www.mdcourts.gov/data/opinion...
mdcourts.gov
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Ashton Pittman @ashtonpittman.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
We're hearing reports that police have tear gassed a group of protesters outside the Senatobia Walmart where an officer shot and killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
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Ashton Pittman @ashtonpittman.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
www.actionnews5.com/2026/06/16/c...
actionnews5.com
Police deploy tear gas on protestors outside Senatobia Walmart
The incident happened at Walmart on Highway 51 where an officer was investigating a possible shoplifting report.
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I subscribed to some newsletters from Agora affiliates and the content is getting good
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
In the year 2026, the only way you can pay a public records fee to the Baltimore Police Department is by *mailing a check*
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
New: Agora founder Bill Bonner responds to Baltimore’s consumer protection lawsuit. He’s not happy. Read his letter in full: www.thebanner.com/economy/ripp...
thebanner.com
Agora founder responds to Baltimore’s lawsuit: ‘We want a refund’
The founder of a Mount Vernon publishing business responded Wednesday to a city lawsuit accusing the company of deceiving customers.
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The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 10/06/2026
An Amazon driver from Queens posted frequent TikToks documenting her life on the job without incident — until she started speaking up in favor of a City Council bill that Amazon opposes.
buff.ly
NYC Amazon Driver Fired Over Pro-Union TikToks
An Amazon driver from Queens posted frequent TikToks documenting her life on the job without incident — until she started speaking up in favor of a City Council bill that Amazon opposes.
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
‼️ Response from Agora:
"Agora is stunned by the filing of this lawsuit, having learned of it for the first time in the news media this morning. As a 47-year Baltimore company, we would have expected to have heard about any concerns from the City earlier than the filing of a lawsuit, given our long history as a Baltimore business and employer. We are still digesting the complaint, but we already see significant constitutional problems with the allegations – including under the First Amendment – and we are prepared to defend this case vigorously."

Jules Bonner, The Agora Companies
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
For anyone who missed the shitshow happening on the everything app
The Sun posts an article about a Safe Streets worker getting arrested, noting at the very bottom that they ran an earlier version of the post with "an incorrect photo"The man who was incorrectly identified because he shares the same name as the arrested guy tries to clear his name on FacebookThe Sun finally issues an apology for misidentifying this poor man
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
SCOOP: Agora, the Mount Vernon-based publishing giant, is facing a new consumer protection lawsuit from the city of Baltimore. It's not the first time the company's business practices have faced legal scrutiny. For @thebaltimorebanner.com: www.thebanner.com/economy/balt...
thebanner.com
Baltimore sues Agora, accusing Mount Vernon publishing giant of ‘selling snake oil’
A recent consumer protection law allows Baltimore’s law department to pursue penalties.
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Seamus Hughes @seamushughes.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
‘How the search for one court record became a nationwide movement.’ It’s difficult to access immigration court records under an increasingly antiquated federal rule. An army of volunteers is working to change that. Our Sunday story by @maddioneill.bsky.social www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: How the search for one court record became a nationwide movement.
It’s difficult to access immigration court records under an increasingly antiquated federal rule. An army of volunteers is working to change that.
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
My first story for @courtwatch.bsky.social: Immigration court filings are incredibly important right now, but they’re impossible to access online under an obscure court privacy rule. One man — and 400 volunteers — are trying to change that: www.courtwatch.news/p/the-rabbit...
courtwatch.news
The Rabbit Hole: How the search for one court record became a nationwide movement.
It’s difficult to access immigration court records under an increasingly antiquated federal rule. An army of volunteers is working to change that.
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
New for @thebaltimorebanner.com: A trial over liability in the Key Bridge collapse starts Monday. But with crew members worried about detention and criminal charges, will any eyewitnesses show up? app.thebaltimorebanner.com/A25DPI2XGFBV...
app.thebaltimorebanner.com
Pending Key Bridge civil trial may lack eyewitnesses
It’s one of the most consequential maritime disasters in modern American history. But as the long-awaited civil trial over liability in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is set to begin, it...
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
🎉 Thank you @ire.org for naming Allegany County, MD a finalist for the Golden Padlock Award. The county attorney spent nearly a year blocking access to a report that showed a police officer admitted exchanging 'filthy' messages with a teen girl. www.ire.org/2026/05/27/t...
ire.org
The 2026 Golden Padlock Award Nominees
IRE Announces New ‘Diana Fuentes Service to IRE Award,’ Names Liz Lucas First Recipient Investigative Reporters and Editors has named its finalists for the 2026 Golden Padlock Award, honoring the most...
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Maryland Matters @marylandmatters.org · 26/05/2026
A surge in voluntary departure agreements in immigration courts is raising concerns that Trump administration tactics are unfairly pressuring immigrants into leaving the United States, even if they have a legal right to stay. marylandmatters.org/2026/05/26/r...
marylandmatters.org
Voluntary departures spike as immigrants face squalid detention, pressure to leave - Maryland Matters
A surge in voluntary departure agreements in immigration courts is raising concerns that Trump administration tactics are unfairly pressuring immigrants into leaving the United States, even if they ha...
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
New story for @baltimorebrew.bsky.social: Juana was on a legal path to obtaining a green card. ICE arrested her in front of her daughter anyway. Her story shows what the agency’s “quieter” approach to immigration enforcement looks like in Maryland. baltimorebrew.com/2026/05/25/i...
baltimorebrew.com
ICE chased and arrested a Maryland woman. After two weeks in detention, she asked to leave the U.S. with her citizen daughter | Baltimore Brew
A “quieter approach” to U.S. immigration enforcement in the wake of the Minneapolis backlash? Not so in the case of this 24-year-old on a legal path to a green card.
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Today marks 10 years since I started my first journalism job at my hometown paper, the Erie Times-News 🗞️ ✨
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
New story for @baltimorebeat.bsky.social: Almost a year after police killed 70-year-old Pytorcarcha Brooks inside her home, her family has seen no real change or accountability for the systems that failed her. baltimorebeat.com/almost-a-yea...
baltimorebeat.com
Almost a year after the police killing of Pytorcarcha Brooks, her family still hasn't seen change or accountability
Her family called her Baby Sis. A quiet, gentle woman, Pytorcarcha Brooks couldn’t have weighed more than 100 pounds soaking wet. On June 25, 2025, the 70-year-old was deep in a mental health crisis t...
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The Athletic @theathletic.com · 18/05/2026
The Washington Nationals have identified and banned at least one individual from Nationals Park after he unfurled a sign during Sunday’s game that directed fans to a white nationalist website and called for the deportation of “100+ million,” according to a team spokesperson.
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Spent part of my Saturday scanning some amazing old photos at the Baltimore Pigeon Fanciers Social Club in Curtis Bay. A sneak peek:
O.F. Murphy & Loft. A man in a coat and hat stands next to a shed with pigeons visible in a cage along the side.South Baltimore Pigeon Fanciers Social Club signage and historyA winning pigeon bred by G. Pumphrey with race detailsHundreds of pigeons fly out of a truck in Orange, Virginia, to begin their race home to Baltimore. Photo dated May 4, 1958
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
NEW: The owner & operator of the ship that destroyed the Key Bridge are asking to put an upcoming civil trial on hold after federal prosecutors announced criminal charges last week. www.thebanner.com/community/lo...
thebanner.com
Ship owner, operator seek delay in Key Bridge civil trial after indictment
The companies that own and operate the ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge are asking to put a long-awaited civil trial on hold after the U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal cha...
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Maddi O’Neill @maddioneill.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Late post alert: I was honored to win TWO Best of Show awards at the @mddcpress.bsky.social conference last week, one for continuing coverage of Baltimore’s opioid trial and one for business reporting.
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