Veronica Martinez
@veromartinezart.bsky.social
Art | Illustration | Chicago
Visual Reporter at Injustice Watch
veromartinezart.com
Visual Reporter at Injustice Watch
veromartinezart.com
Pinned
Hi! I’m Veronica, but you can call me Vero.
I am an illustrator, muralist, courtroom artist, and currently the visual reporter for @injusticewatch.org where I make editorial content for their investigations.
You can follow my work here and at veromartinezart.com
I am an illustrator, muralist, courtroom artist, and currently the visual reporter for @injusticewatch.org where I make editorial content for their investigations.
You can follow my work here and at veromartinezart.com
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
For 10 years, we’ve told human-centered stories about the local court system and held powerful institutions accountable. Join us for a fundraiser to fuel our next decade of public service journalism.
Injustice Watch's 10th Birthday Party
We're throwing a fundraiser celebrating 10 years of impactful journalism. Join us for bowling, Chicago-style magic, cocktails and party food
buff.ly
November 7, 2025 at 6:02 PM
For 10 years, we’ve told human-centered stories about the local court system and held powerful institutions accountable. Join us for a fundraiser to fuel our next decade of public service journalism.
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
“I don’t even think it’s close,” said Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Wadas during the 2.5 hour long criminal trial of a former youth jail employee accused of throwing a 15-year-old handcuffed boy to the ground, leaving him unconscious.
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Rare trial of Chicago juvenile jail guard ends in acquittal
A Cook County judge found Kevin Walker not guilty of aggravated battery and official misconduct in a 2023 incident involving a 15-year-old at the juvenile jail.
www.injusticewatch.org
November 4, 2025 at 3:54 PM
“I don’t even think it’s close,” said Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Wadas during the 2.5 hour long criminal trial of a former youth jail employee accused of throwing a 15-year-old handcuffed boy to the ground, leaving him unconscious.
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
www.injusticewatch.org/juvenile-cou...
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
NEW: On Friday, a judge found a former Cook County youth jail employee not guilty on charges related to an incident that left a boy unconscious. The verdict highlights the challenges of holding detention center staff accountable for alleged abuse, advocates say. buff.ly/Isrf22P
Rare trial of Chicago juvenile jail guard ends in acquittal
A Cook County judge found Kevin Walker not guilty of aggravated battery and official misconduct in a 2023 incident involving a 15-year-old at the juvenile jail.
www.injusticewatch.org
November 4, 2025 at 2:11 PM
NEW: On Friday, a judge found a former Cook County youth jail employee not guilty on charges related to an incident that left a boy unconscious. The verdict highlights the challenges of holding detention center staff accountable for alleged abuse, advocates say. buff.ly/Isrf22P
Courtroom illustrations for @injusticewatch.org
Shoutout to my mentor Lou Chukman for coming with. He said my sketches are VERY OK and you know what, coming from him, I’ll take it. 🤍
Read about this trial at injusticewatch.org
#courtroomsketch #courtroomart #illustration #localjournalism
Shoutout to my mentor Lou Chukman for coming with. He said my sketches are VERY OK and you know what, coming from him, I’ll take it. 🤍
Read about this trial at injusticewatch.org
#courtroomsketch #courtroomart #illustration #localjournalism
November 4, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Courtroom illustrations for @injusticewatch.org
Shoutout to my mentor Lou Chukman for coming with. He said my sketches are VERY OK and you know what, coming from him, I’ll take it. 🤍
Read about this trial at injusticewatch.org
#courtroomsketch #courtroomart #illustration #localjournalism
Shoutout to my mentor Lou Chukman for coming with. He said my sketches are VERY OK and you know what, coming from him, I’ll take it. 🤍
Read about this trial at injusticewatch.org
#courtroomsketch #courtroomart #illustration #localjournalism
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
BREAKING: Former Cook County juvenile jail employee Kevin Walker was found not guilty of aggravated battery and official misconduct Friday after a short bench trial before Judge Kenneth Wadas. Story to come.
Reporter Kelly Garcia will be covering today's trial from the courthouse. Stay tuned for updates.
Rare criminal trial of former Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center employee expected to start Thursday
The former Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center employee is charged with two felonies for allegedly throwing a boy to the ground.
buff.ly
October 31, 2025 at 8:07 PM
BREAKING: Former Cook County juvenile jail employee Kevin Walker was found not guilty of aggravated battery and official misconduct Friday after a short bench trial before Judge Kenneth Wadas. Story to come.
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
A fascinating new paper on what science prizes really reward, plus amazing art from @veromartinezart.bsky.social:
Do Scientific Prizes Reward Innovation or Reputation?
Scientists who receive the Nobel Prize and other accolades do more-novel work both before and after winning, new research finds.
insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu
October 7, 2025 at 9:38 PM
A fascinating new paper on what science prizes really reward, plus amazing art from @veromartinezart.bsky.social:
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
Read the full story here: www.injusticewatch.org/project/deny...
Cook County’s new prosecutor has weakened an already broken system for freeing the innocent
State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s Conviction Integrity Unit hasn’t exonerated anyone in her 10 months on the job, and she has done little to confront more than a dozen coercion allegations again...
www.injusticewatch.org
October 6, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Read the full story here: www.injusticewatch.org/project/deny...
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
Today's @injusticewatch.org newsletter has an interview by @msivit.bsky.social with @veromartinezart.bsky.social about the inspirations and ideas behind her mural, the visual centerpiece of our office. Check it out!
www.injusticewatch.org/subscribe/
www.injusticewatch.org/subscribe/
August 22, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Today's @injusticewatch.org newsletter has an interview by @msivit.bsky.social with @veromartinezart.bsky.social about the inspirations and ideas behind her mural, the visual centerpiece of our office. Check it out!
www.injusticewatch.org/subscribe/
www.injusticewatch.org/subscribe/
I can’t post more than one graphic so here’s another one for @injusticewatch.org latest investigation by Maya Dukmasova.
How a rogue lab got people convicted for driving high
See more at
injusticewatch.org.
#editorialillustrator #gif #illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration
How a rogue lab got people convicted for driving high
See more at
injusticewatch.org.
#editorialillustrator #gif #illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration
August 14, 2025 at 8:50 PM
I can’t post more than one graphic so here’s another one for @injusticewatch.org latest investigation by Maya Dukmasova.
How a rogue lab got people convicted for driving high
See more at
injusticewatch.org.
#editorialillustrator #gif #illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration
How a rogue lab got people convicted for driving high
See more at
injusticewatch.org.
#editorialillustrator #gif #illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration
Motion graphics for @_injusticewatch ‘s latest investigation by Maya Dukmasova.
How a rogue lab got people convicted for driving high
See more at
injusticewatch.org.
#editorialillustrator #gif #illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration #chicagoart
How a rogue lab got people convicted for driving high
See more at
injusticewatch.org.
#editorialillustrator #gif #illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration #chicagoart
August 14, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Motion graphics for @_injusticewatch ‘s latest investigation by Maya Dukmasova.
How a rogue lab got people convicted for driving high
See more at
injusticewatch.org.
#editorialillustrator #gif #illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration #chicagoart
How a rogue lab got people convicted for driving high
See more at
injusticewatch.org.
#editorialillustrator #gif #illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration #chicagoart
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
New Issue drop!
On the cover: Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony. How a rogue laboratory got people wrongfully convicted for driving high by Maya Dukmasova and Injustice Watch.
Get it in person tomorrow or read the PDF now!
bit.ly/4mf1OTH
On the cover: Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony. How a rogue laboratory got people wrongfully convicted for driving high by Maya Dukmasova and Injustice Watch.
Get it in person tomorrow or read the PDF now!
bit.ly/4mf1OTH
Chicago Reader Volume 54, Number 45
Chicago Reader print issue of August 14, 2025 (Volume 54, Number 45).
bit.ly
August 13, 2025 at 6:15 PM
New Issue drop!
On the cover: Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony. How a rogue laboratory got people wrongfully convicted for driving high by Maya Dukmasova and Injustice Watch.
Get it in person tomorrow or read the PDF now!
bit.ly/4mf1OTH
On the cover: Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony. How a rogue laboratory got people wrongfully convicted for driving high by Maya Dukmasova and Injustice Watch.
Get it in person tomorrow or read the PDF now!
bit.ly/4mf1OTH
Illustrations for @injusticewatch.org latest investigation by Maya Dukmasova.
Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony.
How a rogue laboratory got people convicted for driving high.
injusticewatch.org
#illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration #chicagoart
Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony.
How a rogue laboratory got people convicted for driving high.
injusticewatch.org
#illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration #chicagoart
August 14, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Illustrations for @injusticewatch.org latest investigation by Maya Dukmasova.
Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony.
How a rogue laboratory got people convicted for driving high.
injusticewatch.org
#illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration #chicagoart
Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony.
How a rogue laboratory got people convicted for driving high.
injusticewatch.org
#illustrations #localjournalism #digitalillustration #chicagoart
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
My latest investigation!
A story about some wild things that happened at a UIC forensics lab and how inadequate crime lab oversight is in our state. In the course of reporting I:
-filed 45+ FOIA requests
-did 100+ interviews
-reviewed 8000+ pages of records
www.injusticewatch.org/project/fore...
A story about some wild things that happened at a UIC forensics lab and how inadequate crime lab oversight is in our state. In the course of reporting I:
-filed 45+ FOIA requests
-did 100+ interviews
-reviewed 8000+ pages of records
www.injusticewatch.org/project/fore...
Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony
How a rogue forensics lab in Chicago got people wrongfully convicted for driving high.
www.injusticewatch.org
August 14, 2025 at 12:22 PM
My latest investigation!
A story about some wild things that happened at a UIC forensics lab and how inadequate crime lab oversight is in our state. In the course of reporting I:
-filed 45+ FOIA requests
-did 100+ interviews
-reviewed 8000+ pages of records
www.injusticewatch.org/project/fore...
A story about some wild things that happened at a UIC forensics lab and how inadequate crime lab oversight is in our state. In the course of reporting I:
-filed 45+ FOIA requests
-did 100+ interviews
-reviewed 8000+ pages of records
www.injusticewatch.org/project/fore...
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
NEW: Illinois’ property tax foreclosure process strips generational wealth from Cook County residents — disproportionately impacting Black senior homeowners. Read our latest investigation with @raceandequityproject.org 🏠
Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners caught in tax foreclosure
This is a joint project of Injustice Watch and the Investigative Project on Race and EquityWhen Cook County sheriff’s deputies burst into the Maywood home
buff.ly
May 16, 2025 at 1:30 PM
NEW: Illinois’ property tax foreclosure process strips generational wealth from Cook County residents — disproportionately impacting Black senior homeowners. Read our latest investigation with @raceandequityproject.org 🏠
New illustration for @injusticewatch.org
Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners caught in tax foreclosure
By Carlos Ballesteros & Emeline Posner
www.injusticewatch.org/civil-courts...
#illustration #editorialillustration #digitalart #chicagoartist #localjournalism
Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners caught in tax foreclosure
By Carlos Ballesteros & Emeline Posner
www.injusticewatch.org/civil-courts...
#illustration #editorialillustration #digitalart #chicagoartist #localjournalism
May 16, 2025 at 2:54 PM
New illustration for @injusticewatch.org
Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners caught in tax foreclosure
By Carlos Ballesteros & Emeline Posner
www.injusticewatch.org/civil-courts...
#illustration #editorialillustration #digitalart #chicagoartist #localjournalism
Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners caught in tax foreclosure
By Carlos Ballesteros & Emeline Posner
www.injusticewatch.org/civil-courts...
#illustration #editorialillustration #digitalart #chicagoartist #localjournalism
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
North Carolina’s last governor started considering clemency for people sentenced to life in prison as kids. Other juvenile lifers are now hoping the state's new governor believes in second chances.
latest from Bolts, w/ amazing art by @veromartinezart.bsky.social
boltsmag.org/north-caroli...
latest from Bolts, w/ amazing art by @veromartinezart.bsky.social
boltsmag.org/north-caroli...
In North Carolina, Juvenile Lifers See a Pathway to Freedom - Bolts
After North Carolina's previous governor granted clemency to people sentenced to life in prison as minors, others with juvenile life sentences are hoping for a new administration that also believes in...
boltsmag.org
April 15, 2025 at 8:07 PM
North Carolina’s last governor started considering clemency for people sentenced to life in prison as kids. Other juvenile lifers are now hoping the state's new governor believes in second chances.
latest from Bolts, w/ amazing art by @veromartinezart.bsky.social
boltsmag.org/north-caroli...
latest from Bolts, w/ amazing art by @veromartinezart.bsky.social
boltsmag.org/north-caroli...
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
Visual reporter Verónica Martinez has been hard at work on a mural in the main hallway of our new office. The design was inspired by a poem; any guesses which one?
March 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Visual reporter Verónica Martinez has been hard at work on a mural in the main hallway of our new office. The design was inspired by a poem; any guesses which one?
New illustration for @bolts.bsky.social
Story by Piper French
#editorialillustration #illustration #digitalart #chicagoartist
boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
Story by Piper French
#editorialillustration #illustration #digitalart #chicagoartist
boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
The Human Cost of Jeff Landry’s Drive to Resume Executions - Bolts
Chris Duncan’s death sentence—built on the testimony of two discredited doctors—illustrates just how faulty the system can be.
boltsmag.org
March 21, 2025 at 5:14 PM
New illustration for @bolts.bsky.social
Story by Piper French
#editorialillustration #illustration #digitalart #chicagoartist
boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
Story by Piper French
#editorialillustration #illustration #digitalart #chicagoartist
boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
💗
This is amazing & specifically want to call out how the addition of Verónica Martinez's work in this piece really takes it to the next level. Descriptive visuals capture both processes and experiences and so many stories about people's experience in complex bureaucracies could use this touch.
How does eviction work in Cook County? Here’s what tenants need to know about navigating eviction proceedings. (Updated March 2025)
March 21, 2025 at 5:02 PM
💗
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
How does eviction work in Cook County? Here’s what tenants need to know about navigating eviction proceedings. (Updated March 2025)
How eviction works in Cook County
Facing eviction? New Cook County programs aim to help keep people in their homes. Here’s what you need to know about navigating eviction proceedings.
buff.ly
March 21, 2025 at 2:25 PM
How does eviction work in Cook County? Here’s what tenants need to know about navigating eviction proceedings. (Updated March 2025)
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
Senior reporter @writeralejandra.bsky.social is a @publicnarrative.bsky.social 2025 Studs Terkel Community Media Award winner 🎉
March 10, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Senior reporter @writeralejandra.bsky.social is a @publicnarrative.bsky.social 2025 Studs Terkel Community Media Award winner 🎉
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
Our hope is to mail a print copy of our investigation to everyone who has contacted the CIU and is still incarcerated. It will cost about $1.75 in printing and postage for each person we send the story to. Will you help us reach as many people as possible? Donate: buff.ly/wYf96Up
March 7, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Our hope is to mail a print copy of our investigation to everyone who has contacted the CIU and is still incarcerated. It will cost about $1.75 in printing and postage for each person we send the story to. Will you help us reach as many people as possible? Donate: buff.ly/wYf96Up
Reposted by Veronica Martinez
Last week, we published an investigation about the Cook County conviction integrity unit. The people most affected by this issue are those who have contacted the CIU and are still incarcerated. We need your help to reach those readers. buff.ly/wYf96Up
March 7, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Last week, we published an investigation about the Cook County conviction integrity unit. The people most affected by this issue are those who have contacted the CIU and are still incarcerated. We need your help to reach those readers. buff.ly/wYf96Up
Hi! I’m Veronica, but you can call me Vero.
I am an illustrator, muralist, courtroom artist, and currently the visual reporter for @injusticewatch.org where I make editorial content for their investigations.
You can follow my work here and at veromartinezart.com
I am an illustrator, muralist, courtroom artist, and currently the visual reporter for @injusticewatch.org where I make editorial content for their investigations.
You can follow my work here and at veromartinezart.com
March 7, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Hi! I’m Veronica, but you can call me Vero.
I am an illustrator, muralist, courtroom artist, and currently the visual reporter for @injusticewatch.org where I make editorial content for their investigations.
You can follow my work here and at veromartinezart.com
I am an illustrator, muralist, courtroom artist, and currently the visual reporter for @injusticewatch.org where I make editorial content for their investigations.
You can follow my work here and at veromartinezart.com
Here are my latest illustrations from @injusticewatch.org
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Cook County’s conviction integrity unit repeatedly denied freedom to incarcerated people who were later cleared
by Dan Hinkel
Pub. 02.27.2025
#editorialillustration #digitalart #illustration #procreate #chicagoart
——————————————
Cook County’s conviction integrity unit repeatedly denied freedom to incarcerated people who were later cleared
by Dan Hinkel
Pub. 02.27.2025
#editorialillustration #digitalart #illustration #procreate #chicagoart
March 7, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Here are my latest illustrations from @injusticewatch.org
——————————————
Cook County’s conviction integrity unit repeatedly denied freedom to incarcerated people who were later cleared
by Dan Hinkel
Pub. 02.27.2025
#editorialillustration #digitalart #illustration #procreate #chicagoart
——————————————
Cook County’s conviction integrity unit repeatedly denied freedom to incarcerated people who were later cleared
by Dan Hinkel
Pub. 02.27.2025
#editorialillustration #digitalart #illustration #procreate #chicagoart