Stalking...

So. What is stalking? Can you stalk someone through their friends? If you can, and it's being done to you, is a restraining order justifiable? These are all questions that are on my mind. One of my friend's ex boyfriends is doing this to her. He's also tried calling, messaging, and e-mailing her a billion times.

Stalking Behaviors

* Waiting at the victim's workplace or in their neighborhood
* Persistent phone calls, text messages, emails, letters or notes
* Placing messages in the media
* Sending gifts from the seemingly "romantic" (i.e. flowers and/or candy) to the bizarre (i.e.
pornographic gifts)
* Breaking into the victim's home or car
* Gathering information on the victim: contacting people who know the victim; searching public or
personal records, or the trash, for information.
* Surveillance:

-persistently watching the individual
-employing detective agencies to watch the victim
-using cameras, audio equipment, phone tapping, or bugging the victim's home or
workplace
-installing spyware on the victim's computer
-installing GPS tracking systems on the victim's car or cellphone

* Manipulative behavior (for example: bringing legal action against the victim, or threatening to
commit suicide in order to coerce the victim to intervene--all methods of forcing contact with the
stalker)
* Defamation of character: the stalker will often lie to others about the victim, trying to limit their
options and weaken their support network. This isolates the victim, making them seem more
vulnerable, and gives the stalker a feeling of power and control.
* "Objectification": the stalker derogates the victim, thus reducing them to an object which allows
the stalker to feel angry with them without experiencing empathy. It helps the stalker feel they
are entitled to behave as they please toward the victim. Viewing her/him as "lesser," "weak" or
otherwise seriously flawed can support delusions that the victim needs to be rescued, or
punished, by the stalker.
* Threats and violence: the stalker uses threats to frighten the victim; vandalism and property
damage (usually to the victims car); physical attacks that leave abrasions and bruises (mostly
meant to frighten); less common--physical attacks that leave serious physical injuries, or sexual
assaults.
* Cyberstalking: electronic mediums, such as the Internet, are used to pursue, harass or contact
another in an unsolicited fashion. The stalker may install spyware on their target's computer or
cellphone, and use an Internet connection to upload the information they gather. They may loiter
around forums they know their target frequents, even joining the forums in order to contact their
target, or contact other forum members the target interacts with. Cyberstalking is an extension
of the physical form of stalking.
* Gang stalking: stalking by multiple perpetrators, or one perpetrator is able to convince others to
assist in his/her stalking and harassing activities against a victim.


Her ex shows some of these behaviors. But are they enough to get a restraining order? I feel so bad for her, and wish there was more I could do. ):

But. If you ever think you might be being stalked...there's the info you need. ^^