Shining a light in the dark corners of Baltimore City’s courts #FreeThemAll
https://t.co/iiNaYTj9eb
@bmorecourtwatch@projectmushroom.social
Jun 2, 2022 • 17 tweets • 7 min read
It's that time of the month!
DATA TIME!
We will be looking back on May 2022 to see what prosecutors and judges did in Baltimore City Circuit Court.
As, as promised, we have some info about some of the cops tied to the cases we observed.
Get those red flags ready!
PROSECUTORS: Let's begin with the prosecutors - those employed by the Baltimore City State's Attorney.
The State asked for someone to be held without bond in over 80% of the bail hearings, which tracks with every other month in 2022.
How "progressive."
Jun 1, 2022 • 21 tweets • 3 min read
Today (Wednesday June 1, 2022), there much confusion even trying to start a bail review. Judge Jackson was a last minute substitution for Judge Hong.
There was no clerk's office present to record the preceding. This a particular thorn in Judge Jackson's side. The docket, which was scheduled to start at 8:30, did not start until 9 am.
Nov 5, 2021 • 48 tweets • 7 min read
Welcome to the Friday Roundup. This is our chance to share things we heard that did not fit into the daily docket twitter threads. We know from what we observe that the entire system is based on cruelty and dehumanization.
This thread is a little window into how badly the criminal punishment system treats Baltimoreans, and especially Black Baltimoreans.
Nov 5, 2021 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
Good morning and happy #FreeKeithFriday! Today Judge Taylor is presiding.
Case 1: A young person who cannot afford home detention. The state recommends home detention. At this point (finally!!) the home detention fees will be covered. Judge Taylor so orders.
Apr 22, 2021 • 38 tweets • 6 min read
Good morning, we’ll be with you shortly with this morning’s bail reviews. Here’s yesterday’s thread while you wait:
A content note for Thursdays: these hearings are for children the state is prosecuting as adults. These threads document the abusive and neglectful conditions all our threads document, but people often understandably find Thursday threads even more disturbing.
Apr 21, 2021 • 38 tweets • 6 min read
Good morning. Today in Baltimore City Circuit Court bail reviews: Judge Jackson is presiding. ASA Hartford will represent the state for most of the docket.
CASE 1: a teenager whose attorney points out that holding everyone without bail is unconstitutional and wrong. He has been pre-approved with one of the home detention companies.
Apr 20, 2021 • 35 tweets • 5 min read
Tuesday docket thread. While we breather a sigh of relief, grieve, rage against a broken system tonight, the work continues. The injustices continue in courtrooms across America. Our work continues.
Judge Jackson is presiding today.
ASA Turiello is handling the majority of the docket.
Apr 20, 2021 • 20 tweets • 3 min read
Welcome to Courtwatch COVID Vaccination edition. Thank you for your patience while our volunteers take turns getting immunized. We are making sure there are note takers every day, but the health of our volunteers and community are a priority.
For the notes of Monday 4/19/21
Judge Jackson presiding. It was noted the proceedings started late because Judge Jackson was locked out of the courtroom.
Mar 19, 2021 • 29 tweets • 4 min read
Good morning! While waiting for bail reviews to start, here is our thread from yesterday’s docket of children being held in solitary confinement with no trials in sight.
On today's docket, Judge Jones presiding. ASA Cynthia Banks will be handling the bulk of the docket
Mar 18, 2021 • 22 tweets • 4 min read
Good morning. Bail reviews for children charged as adults are held on Thursdays. Pretrial doesn’t participate in these hearings. We remind you that these threads can be extra upsetting. The hearing should be starting in a few minutes.
Today in Baltimore City Circuit Court: Judge Jones is presiding. She reads the usual statement about remote proceedings, prohibition on recording.
Mar 17, 2021 • 21 tweets • 3 min read
Good morning. We’re waiting for bail reviews to start. Here is our thread from yesterday’s docket:
Today in Baltimore City Circuit Court bail reviews: Judge Sampson is presiding. ASAs Lapolla and Ramirez will represent the state for most of the docket.
Oct 5, 2020 • 27 tweets • 4 min read
Good morning. Bail reviews will be starting soon. Here’s Friday’s live thread:
Today in Baltimore City Circuit Court bail reviews: Judge Sampson is presiding. Sounds like ASA Linda Ramirez will be handling most of the docket.
Jul 21, 2020 • 57 tweets • 7 min read
Today in Baltimore City bail reviews: Judge Sampson is presiding. Sounds like no defendants will be present.
Todd Oppenheim from OPD making a statement to be applied to all their cases on this docket. He’s addressing the factors in Judge Barbera’s order.
May 3, 2020 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
5/1/20 Baltimore City bail reviews: a thread
Several defendants whose cases were heard on 5/1 are being held pretrial at JCI, including one who is housed directly under the unit where sick prisoners are housed - there are holes in the floor and he can talk to the patients right above him.
Apr 28, 2020 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
Among multiple other upsetting events in today’s Baltimore City bail review hearings, Marilyn Mosby’s office argued to continue holding a teenage defendant because “just because someone is paralyzed doesn’t mean they can’t get around and aren’t a threat to public safety.”
This defendant is an 18 year old who was paralyzed when he was shot in the spine. State claims a gun was found under him at the scene. He was treated at Shock Trauma, moved to a facility for physical rehab, and then taken to the infirmary at MTC.
Apr 27, 2020 • 25 tweets • 4 min read
Thread on city bail reviews from 4/24. Again, only observations on some cases where information was available. Multiple prosecutors and defense attorneys participated. The proceedings were overseen by Judge Althea Handy, herself a former prosecutor.
A 21 yo defendant was released to pre-trial with 6/16/20 trial date. Incarcerated since Jan, state argued for him to be held despite offering plea deal for 6 mos and telling def. atty that in front of Judge Phinn they would offer time served next week. ASA was Michael Dunty.
Apr 13, 2020 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
We heard today from a woman who was recently released from MCIW who relayed some info about the conditions there:
She learned from someone still housed there that entire nursing staff walked off after the facility failed to provide them with PPE like masks and gloves.
Apr 10, 2020 • 16 tweets • 5 min read
We talked with our friends at @OpenJusticeBalt today about Marilyn Mosby's performance of demanding Hogan release prisoners. Here's what we learned.
@OpenJusticeBalt We asked for data on people charged in the last three weeks, a time period we chose because it's about a week after residents and officials started panicking in earnest about COVID-19.
Jul 24, 2019 • 23 tweets • 4 min read
This morning the #KeithDavisJr trial opened with a defense motion for acquittal, which was denied as is typically the case.
The defense then called Det. Veney. State objected to a question about Veney not having been called by the state despite having been in the courtroom all week. That was sustained.
