Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess) header
Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess) profile picture

I spend too much time reading about mass killing & state violence| Criminologist| @DepaulU Asst. Professor| Debate Coach| @UOfMemphis, @WSU_scj, @UML_Crim Alum

Amsterdam โœˆ Memphis โœˆ Chicago
Joined February 2009
Photo by Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess)Photo by Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess)Photo by Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess)Photo by Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess)Photo by Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess)Photo by Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess)Photo by Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess)Photo by Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess)Photo by Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess)Photo by Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ (@_ItzDutchess)
The PhD Journey is officially at an end. Forever grateful for my time at @uml_crim. Grateful for the professors that poured into me (most notably the greatest chair I could have ever asked for!), the classmates that loved on me, and everyone who supported me along the way โค๏ธ
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
Gay rights activists literally did this. They swallowed doma in exchange for FDA funding for aids research & medication, they ate DADT to not get fired from jobs. Obama famously was against gay marriage in 08, they didnโ€™t pout, they remembered the bigger picture & got favorable scotus seats under both Dem admins
gay activists need to make a determination on what they care more about: a) marrying their preferred gender or b) being able to live openly and freely without fear of persecution or harassment
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
I think the fact that Marissa Mayer would voluntarily disclose this to a reporter is a pretty good demonstration of how deeply the culture of Silicon Valley has diverged from the rest of humanity
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
The idea that Amanda Seyfried owes Holmes an apology for portraying her in a miniseries is asinine, especially coupled with the fact that Holmes has never once been sorry about her own actions (including driving a person to suicide!) and still believes her own bullshit
I think Nathan Fielder did a really good job with You Can See Everything. Especially in showing how unwilling Amanda Seyfried was to acknowledge her own role in potentially harming another person. He had everyone looking at one another and questioning everyone elseโ€™s intentions, while seemingly being completely unwilling to examine their own behavior. I thought Amandaโ€™s resistance to doing that was especially revealing I also obviously think Billy is terrible. I think heโ€™s cruel and exploitative. Iโ€™ve seen Elizabethโ€™s tweets for years and thought they were her. Finding out theyโ€™re his was jarring and sad. But as much as I dislike Billy, I think he made a very good point. Why would he care what Amanda thinks? Sheโ€™s an actress who has profited from portraying his wife as a bizarre and dishonest and manipulative freak to an audience that is largely voyeuristic, incredibly binary in their moral thinking, and seemingly unable to separate fiction from reality I donโ€™t think that Amanda needed to defend Elizabeth or excuse anything sheโ€™s done but I do think itโ€™s bizarre how unwilling she seemed to consider that she might have contributed to another personโ€™s suffering
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
Nancy Pelosi, who is regularly hammered for her perceived insider trading, has made 213 total trades since 2014. Trump exceeded that number in a single day, which just happened to precede his own tariffs announcement.ย My latest on the mind boggling self-enrichment:
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
Everything about this story breaks (and rebreaks) my heart, but this interview is a good reminder that everyday people are capable of extraordinary acts. opb.org/article/2026/10/23/bโ€ฆ
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
Replying to @HeerJeet
Iโ€™ve been saying for years that the reason Moms for Liberty exists to ban books, is that those moms in conservative communities donโ€™t like their children having the words to ask about what daddy, uncle, grandpa, moms boyfriend, pastor, sheriff do to them in private.
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
This makes sense when you realize that Acton's estranged mother represents a major demographic cohort -- parents who covered up horrific family secrets and are puzzled why their kids don't talk to them. This cohort is becoming politically organized.
#OhioGovernor Axios: Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign says the ad with Actonโ€™s estranged mother will begin streaming tonight, and will be airing statewide in Ohio.
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
This is why when I see videos of elephants attacking people, I know they deserved it.
Elephant enjoys a giant birthday fruit buffet ๐Ÿฅน She came in backwards so she could be surprised ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
I admit this is more a DUI reaction than a Second Amendment reaction, I know, but I think DUI is a very violent crime with a death toll in the tens of thousands, and it's a mistake to treat people who do it as "non-dangerous". (Plus alcohol is a factor in firearms accidents.)
A man was convicted of two DUIs in the early 2000s, rendering him ineligible to bear arms under federal law. Is that law constitutional as applied to him? No, per Judge Matey on behalf of the full Third Circuit. A second major Second Amendment case from the Third Circuit today
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
Is there a reason for the complete death of kids media? Like growing up we had 3 juggernauts pumping out great shows. No wonder kids are addicted to slop, they have nothing else to watch
Nickelodeon and its sister network Cartoon Network now each have just 3 ongoing shows: Nickelodeon: โ€ข SpongeBob SquarePants โ€ข The Loud House โ€ข The Patrick Star Show Cartoon Network: โ€ข Teen Titans Go! โ€ข Regular Show: The Lost Tapes โ€ข We Baby Bears
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
Most people on EBT are children and the elderly. Most adults on EBT are employed. You are subsidizing their employer paying poverty wages. You all are mad at the wrong people because you are dumb.
Why the fuck am I paying for someone on welfare to go visit the zoo for free when it costs me $100 to do the same? Go get a job like the rest of us and pay for your own damn ticket.
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
An 8-year-old girl was abducted near her South Side home and found murdered in a ravine a few hours later in November 1960. This year, CPD detectives cleared the case. The girl's murderer was a 24-year-old CPD officer who worked for the dept. until 1987. chicagotribune.com/2026/10/1โ€ฆ
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
The asymmetric nature of our media coverage - El-Sayed has to repeatedly apologize for things he has said, but Rogers never ever has to apologize for much worse things that he has said - he literally called El-Sayed a โ€˜terroristโ€™ the other day & has supporters who do Nazi salutes
WELKER: Is it safe to say based on what you're saying that you regret making those comments? EL-SAYED: Yeah. If I step on somebody's grief, of course I regret that. I really wish I would've thought about how somebody would've felt hearing that and thought twice
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
Itโ€™s honestly amazing for tort lawyers everywhere that Sortor and the other guy committed such brazen libel that we could get a case where a public figure might win based on actual malice. Good on them for being knuckle draggers
Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope.
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
We gotta face the fact that COVID hasn't ended in the commercial sector. 24 hours stores are gone, everything is run by 5 people at most, and no one wants to hire because it might make profits a little less
Literally everything runs on skeleton crews now. Got stuck in like for like 30 minutes at the grocery this week because they had only 1 register open and no one fixing the broken self check outs. At 5pm. On a friday.
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
None of the many Carrie adaptations have had the guts to make Carrie weird, ugly, and off-putting enough to implicate the viewer and make them realize "Yeah, I probably would have ostracized her, too."
In the book, Carrie is an overweight girl with severe acne. Bullies call her a pig, which is why the main bully douses her in pigโ€™s blood. I want to see THAT โ€œCarrie.โ€
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
bleak
I visited Uganda amid an ongoing reign of terror and saw that, for all my criticism of traditional U.S. foreign policy&human rights, it's now immeasurably worse. Trump/Rubio's withdrawal from public diplomacy leaves China, unchecked abuse & surveillance. nytimes.com/2026/10/08/opiniโ€ฆ
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
These dumb fucks actually did textbook "actual malice." They knew it was false, clearly, because they doctored the call recording to say something it didn't say and invented a whole story around it. I hope they get sued into generational poverty.
NEW: We obtained the full six minute audio of the Lindner recording. The employee there repeatedly denied anyone named โ€œJames Talaricoโ€ was in her system at all. Only towards the end did she say someone had checked out that day. via @willsommer thebulwark.com/p/maga-james-โ€ฆ
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Melissa E. Swauncy-Coleman ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ retweeted
Reminder: there is no domestic or intl legal basis for the murders that Trump ordered (and Rubio backed) in the Caribbean. No war. No authorization. Apparently many innocent fishermen killed. Sanctioning the ICC won't make that crime disappear after they leave power.
Today, the Trump Administration is sanctioning the ICC. This action should encourage our Allies within the Court to work for solutions to end this threat to U.S. sovereignty forever.
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I actually disagree here in that I think plenty of Americans are actually fine with executing innocent black people ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿพ
Replying to @dilanesper
But at any rate, that is untenable. Indeed, despite the death penalty itself having a lot of public support, the number of "it's OK to risk executing innocent people to do executions faster" supporters is going to be very low.
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