Stand with Matthew Reardon: A Journalist’s Fight for Justice

For eight years, investigative journalist Matthew Oliver Reardon (also known by the pen name Don Matthews) has endured a relentless campaign of retaliation by Mississippi authorities. His “crime”? Daring to expose corruption and stand up for constitutional rights. In return, Matt has faced false arrests, forced psychiatric commitments, coerced guilty pleas, and prolonged jailings – all tactics to silence his voice. This campaign of persecution has ripped him from his family and children, tarnished his name, and threatened to break his spirit. Now, after finally winning a measure of vindication, Matt urgently needs our help to survive and continue his fight for justice.

Eight Years of Retaliatory Abuse and Courageous Resistance

In 2017, Matt’s activism put him in the crosshairs of local officials. Oxford’s mayor took out a restraining order against him based on claims that have since been debunked as false – an order later used to banish him from Lafayette County for five years. That same year, Matt was arrested after a peaceful protest and pressured into a plea deal on a stalking charge to avoid a stacked trial. As part of this coerced plea, he lost his Second Amendment rights and was exiled from his own community. It was an early taste of the systemic retaliation to come.

Things only escalated when Matt continued speaking out. In 2022, while conducting a routine First Amendment audit at Oxford City Hall, he was targeted and entrapped on a bogus felony charge. Authorities outrageously weaponized a few critical tweets he had posted about the mayor’s political views and policies– along with a 10-minute video of his City Hall visit – to accuse him of aggravated stalking. He was immediately arrested and, at the behest of vindictive prosecutors, jailed without bond. Matt – a sane, principled family man – was labeled “mentally unstable” with no cause, simply to keep him behind bars and discredit his voice. All the while, his 4-month-old infant son lay in a neonatal ICU fighting for life, and his three other young children were at home wondering why their father was taken away. This harrowing ordeal shows the human cost of constitutional abuse: a father and husband torn from his loved ones during their time of need.

When evidence in that case didn’t add up, Matt’s court-appointed attorney promised the charges would be dropped. Instead, on the eve of a hearing, the lawyer pressured Matt to plead guilty, warning that a “tainted” jury would ensure his conviction if he refused. Facing immense pressure and a family crisis with his son fighting for his life in the NICU and his wife conveniently being fired from her job while he was jailed, Matt reluctantly took a plea deal for probation and banishment, just to get out of jail to see and support his family. But as soon as he was free, he tried to withdraw the plea – recognizing it as a mistake made under duress. This act of integrity sparked swift retaliation: days later, after Matt reported police misconduct to the FBI, a local deputy lied to claim Matt violated his probation. Without warning, Matt was rearrested and hauled before a judge. He was given no lawyer and no chance to present evidence of his innocence – recorded phone calls that proved he followed procedure. The judge refused to listen and, in a sham proceeding, sentenced Matt to one year in prison. His only “violation” was trying to report corruption through proper channels. As Matt later wrote, “I was framed, coerced, and silenced. And if they can do it to me, they can do it to anyone.” This one-year prison term in 2022-2023 was nothing less than a coordinated effort to remove a government critic.

The Latest Ordeal – Multi-State Conspiracy and False Imprisonment

After serving that year behind bars, Matt was released in August 2023 – only to walk into an even more brazen trap. Just ten days after regaining his freedom, he was pulled over in Galveston, Texas at 2 AM. What should have been a routine traffic stop suddenly became a DWI arrest. Matt hadn’t had a drop of alcohol in years and begged for a breathalyzer test to prove his sobriety. Instead, Galveston officers (apparently tipped off about who he was) refused the breath test and demanded he perform dubious field sobriety tests. When Matt asserted his rights and requested an attorney, officers arrested him without cause. They then subjected him to a horrifying ordeal: nearly ten officers pinned him down and forcibly drew his blood without showing a valid warrant. Matt’s arm was stabbed multiple times with a needle as he lay handcuffed, despite zero evidence of intoxication. “This was brutal, unconstitutional, and illegal,” he recounts. It was the definition of a staged, false arrest – a trap set solely to put Matt back in a cell.

While Matt sat in the Galveston jail, the true architects of this scheme revealed themselves. Matt overheard his arresting officer on the phone with Deputy Kandace Beavers of Lafayette County, Mississippi – the same deputy whose lies Matt had exposed just days earlier. Recorded calls later confirmed that Deputy Beavers and another Mississippi deputy, Hoby James, had orchestrated Matt’s arrest from 500 miles away. In Matt’s words, “This wasn’t just a routine traffic stop… This was a coordinated, multi-state conspiracy” involving Galveston police and Mississippi officials working in tandem to silence him. Their plan was as sinister as it was unlawful: charge Matt with a felony DWI (third offense) – a grossly inflated charge – so that Mississippi could revoke his probation and imprison him for years. “Even if I had been intoxicated (which I wasn’t), this never should have been a felony… This was never about the law – it was about silencing me,” Matt explains. By upgrading a baseless charge to a felony, Lafayette County officials could invoke an old suspended sentence and lock Matt away far longer than a misdemeanor would allow. In essence, they used Texas law enforcement to do Mississippi’s dirty work, manufacturing a reason to throw a journalist in prison and keep their own corruption buried.

For 11 excruciating months, Matt languished in a Texas jail cell on this phony DUI charge, fighting desperately to prove his innocence. He was then shuttled across state lines back to Mississippi in a rushed, questionable extradition – imprisoned without a trial on the pretext of violating probation. Matt found himself behind bars yet again, facing years in prison, all stemming from a fabricated incident. It was an absolute nightmare scenario: a conspiracy of officials in two states colluding to strip a man’s liberty.

Finally, in a testament to Matt’s courage and truth-telling, justice began to prevail. The Texas DUI case was exposed as a sham and dismissed, and in January 2025 the Mississippi court vacated Matt’s sentence related to that charge. After nearly a year behind bars for a crime that never happened, Matt walked free – exonerated and vindicated. But the damage had been done: he had lost another year of his life, his freedom, and precious time with his family. This recent victory proves what Matt has said all along: the charges were a retaliatory frame-up, and powerful people conspired to silence him. It also proves something even more important: Matt’s fight matters – and it’s far from over. As he has said, “If they can do this to me, they can do it to anyone… Every time they get away with violating someone’s rights, it empowers them to do it again and again.” Now is the time to help Matt break this cycle and hold the bad actors accountable.

Why Matt Needs Your Help Now

After eight years of defending constitutional rights at an unfathomable personal cost, Matt Reardon is finally back on the road – but effectively starting from scratch. The state’s retaliatory actions have decimated him financially. He’s had his name dragged through the mud and his career derailed. He’s spent months – even years – locked up with no income, lost his home more than once, and incurred heavy debts trying to fight these legal battles. He is free today, but he is not yet truly free: multiple lawsuits are pending against the officials who violated his rights, and the fight for accountability continues  . It could take years more to see justice fully served. In the meantime, Matt must survive and keep up the fight – and that’s where we can make a difference.

Your support will help Matt cover basic survival needs and continue his vital advocacy until those lawsuits conclude and justice is done. Specifically, donations will go toward:

• Daily Living Expenses: Safe housing, food, and transportation (fuel and vehicle costs) so Matt can stay safe and mobile while he advocates nationwide. After years of being unjustly detained, he needs stability and security to rebuild his life.

• Ongoing Legal Fight: While this fundraiser isn’t directly for attorney fees, helping Matt survive enables him to focus on his court cases and legal filings without fear of starvation or homelessness. Every dollar keeps him in the fight for all of us.

• Publishing American Injustice (Book): Matt is finalizing his explosive new book, American Injustice, which will be released in print, audiobook, and as a free e-book to maximize public access . This book is a culmination of Matt’s investigative work – a deep dive into corruption, power abuse, and systemic failures in our justice system . Funds will support the printing, distribution, and promotion of this book so it can reach and educate as many people as possible. (All donors will receive a copy, and the e-book will be made free for everyone.)

• Producing the Bad Actors Music Album: Matt is also channeling his experience into powerful music. He is working on a full album titled Bad Actors, which will be freely distributed to raise awareness through art. Songs like “False Witness” and the music video “Caught Red Handed” (already released and shown below)

call out the individuals and agencies that violated the public’s trust. This album is protest music at its finest – and will help wake up audiences who might not read legal briefs but will feel the message through song. Your support will help complete recording and distribute Bad Actors far and wide (for free). (Donors will receive the album as a thank-you once it’s released.)

• Public Awareness & Education: Matt continues to create and share educational media – from investigative journalism articles and videos to podcasts and public presentations – that expose how easily constitutional rights can be stripped away by coordinated legal and bureaucratic abuse. He’s living proof of these abuses, and he’s determined to educate others to prevent this from happening again. Contributions will help Matt cover travel costs to give talks, attend advocacy events, and distribute free content (like informative videos, documents, and know-your-rights materials). By keeping Matt “on the road,” you’re enabling him to shine a light into the darkest corners of our justice system.

Every donation, no matter how small, directly fuels Matt’s mission. By helping with his day-to-day needs and advocacy projects, you are keeping an innocent man’s voice alive – a voice that nearly got extinguished by the very institutions meant to protect us. Matt is also committed to giving back to his supporters: as a token of gratitude, all donors will receive a copy of his upcoming book and/or album (as applicable) once they are released. In supporting Matt, you’re not just helping one man; you’re investing in a movement for transparency, accountability, and justice.

Join the Fight – Your Action Matters Now

Matthew Reardon’s story is one of unimaginable resilience in the face of tyranny. He has been beaten but not broken. He stood up when most would stay down. He kept reporting, kept writing, kept singing – even when shackles were on his hands. He does this not just for himself, but for all Americans. His message is clear: no one is safe from abuse of power if we don’t stand together. As Matt himself reminds us, “This isn’t just about me – it’s about precedent… If they can do this to me, they can do it to anyone.”

Now, Matt urgently needs us to stand with him. This fundraiser is a call to everyone who believes in liberty, justice, and human rights: defend the defender. Matt’s work shines a light on corruption and gives hope to others fighting similar battles. By contributing, you become part of that story – part of a community saying “Enough!” to the intimidation of journalists and the erosion of our freedoms.

Time is critical. Matt is on his own with limited resources, and the opposition would like nothing more than to see him quit from exhaustion or desperation. We cannot let that happen. If you value the First Amendment, if you value truth and accountability, if you want to help ensure no other family endures what the Reardon family has suffered, now is the moment to act. Your donation will literally help keep Matt on the road and in the fight – shining a light where darkness prevails.

Stand with Matt as he prepares to release American Injustice to educate the nation. Stand with him as he uses music and media to inspire change. Stand with him as he takes on the “bad actors” in court to set a legal precedent that retaliation against truth-tellers will not be tolerated. By supporting Matt, you are sending a message loud and clear: We, the People, will not abandon those who defend our Constitution.

⚠️ Every dollar helps. Please give what you can, and share this campaign with others who care about freedom and justice. In return, you’ll receive Matt’s heartfelt thanks, updates on his fight, and the knowledge that you played a crucial role in an American story of justice prevailing over injustice. Together, we can help Matthew Reardon not only survive, but triumph – and in doing so, help protect the rights of all of us from those who would take them away.

Thank you for standing up for what’s right and for being a lifeline to a patriot who refused to be silenced. Let’s help Matt turn his hard-fought battle into a beacon of hope for our country. Donate today and join the fight to defend liberty and truth. Together, we will ensure that Matt’s voice — and the principles he champions — echo loudly and freely for generations to come.