Stalkers

“Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance or contact by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them.” Wikipedia

I have been the victim of a stalker every single day for two weeks. In my case, they wanted to be me, or at least they wanted my public life as a writer, artist, and media personality. My stalker took images and artworks, and a bit more into their own life and scared me in the process. Frightened me. They found me and made contact in one way or another at least 200 times each and every single day. Yes, I have the proof, and no, I’m not sharing what they did to me.

It was relentless and scary, and this “stalker”used social media to their advantage. They were literally making themselves into their version of me. I knew not if they were male or female as they simply used a non-name for a name, and this all took place within my art gallery platform. The person was reported to the platform in question and blocked. It is scary when notifications are sent my way, alerting me every time they snagged artworks or used a photo of me, and it escalated every day, until it finally stopped on Saturday afternoon, 22 June 2024.

I’m grateful that they knew not where I lived and couldn’t contact me except through my gallery. My husband was extremely uneasy about this, and I kept my private information on that platform private. There are no links to my other platforms in my gallery. Intrusive? They were much more. I had zero idea of what country they lived, and they joined the art world I use for my gallery, and then zeroed in on just me. They had no art in their gallery. The only person they stalked was me. In an ever changing world, stalkers get worse and worse. They find more ways to stalk and cause terror due to social media. Be vigilant.

If you are being stalked, call 911 for Immediate Assistance, and trust your gut feeling. Tell others such as family and friends about what is happening. Document each occurrence of stalking behavior, and make sure you connect with local authorities and state authorities. Devise a safety plan. End all the ways in which they are stalking you. Report them and block them. If you have children, tell them and show them, where and how to hide, in a manner that doesn’t put fear in your child. If you live alone, get help right away. In my case, my husband helped a great deal.  And I’m grateful that he was at home, and that God helped me during this troubling time.

Stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. Unlike other crimes that involve a single incident, stalking is a pattern of behavior. It is often made up of individual acts that could, by themselves, seem harmless or noncriminal, but when taken in the context of a stalking situation, could constitute criminal acts. In the United States, legal definitions of stalking differ depending on where you live; however, stalking is a crime under the laws of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories, and the Federal government. Stalking is serious, often violent, and can escalate over time.