Thursday, September 15, 2016

Menace to Society

The guy who was calling me, the one I filed a harassment report for, the one who Birmingham PD wouldn't help me get a name for, the same guy they told me I'd have to wait until it escalates to stalking or physical contact before it would be worth doing anything about... He called me again Monday night. From a jail. We called to report it. I gave all the detailed information I could give, & they told me they'd look into it. Still haven't heard anything. I emailed the administrator listed on the jail website today, with detailed information. I pleaded in the email for help. I doubt I'll hear anything back. What's frustrating is this time there's no way that they can't figure out who it is. Birmingham PD could have helped me figure out who it was months ago, but no one wanted to make the phone call it would have taken to get the name. It wasn't exciting enough. No one wanted to do the paperwork. One officer told me to see if I could get it trumped up to a stalking charge, because that would be a felony & actually worth pursuing. When I went to file the report, the officer taking my information actually laughed at the situation. I persisted until it was more than obvious that no one was going to help. I called number after number. On one lunch break, I called so many people that I broke down & cried at one woman who tried to divert me back to the first person I spoke with. I had been sent in a circle, chasing my tail in a search for someone who cared about my safety enough to make one phone call. 
I still don't know who this person is, what he knows about me, or how dangerous he is. I don't know how long he was or will be in that jail. I don't know how he got my number. I do know that he knows I filed a police report earlier this year. I told him once when he called, & he denied having called me before. The calls ceased for a few months. I do know that he is actively trying to make me feel unsafe. I told him to fuck off once when he called me at 11:30 at night, & he started yelling immediately. He then called me multiple times following that call, all of which I ignored until he stopped. I do know that if he is bold enough to call me from a jail, then he is not afraid of consequences. And I know that he feels safe enough in our justice system to actually call me from a jail. Why shouldn't he feel secure in the fact that no one will care? No one has yet. 
While seeking recommendations for self-defense classes (because at this point, it's a necessity), one man told me to stay out of dangerous situations. What am I supposed to do that I haven't already done, aside from cowering in my home, that keeps me out this dangerous situation? I have done my part & asked law enforcement multiple times to do theirs. They have laughed at me, treated me like a nuisance, & passed me off to the next person until I had almost no fight left. They have told me that my case is not worth pursuing, because he has not escalated, rather than helping me prevent him from doing so. My case is more exciting if I'm injured or dead. It's hard to feel like you've really saved someone who is taking control of a situation for herself. It's just some guy making phone calls right now, so who cares? But that expired car tag? Oh, yeah, we'll need two officers for that traffic stop. There's where the real menace to society lives. 

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