I appreciated “Theresa”‘s article (“My So-Called Stalker,” 10/8) immensely. I am 27 and have been stalked by an ex-boyfriend for the past year. As it has with Theresa, the stalking has taken an enormous toll on my physical and emotional well-being, my ability to work, and my sense of freedom. Moreover, the D.C. police were not cooperative and would not get involved until I had a death threat (which I never received, because my stalker did not want to physically hurt me)—even though the behavior of my stalker was clearly against the law. In fact, when I went to my local police station to tell them about the hundreds of pages of letters and e-mails (along with phone and face-to-face contact) that I kept receiving, the officer behind the desk actually chuckled and said something to the effect of “E-mail? Why don’t you just delete the messages?”

I am writing this letter because I am interested in getting in touch with other people who have been/are the targets of stalkers. In addition to forming a network of people who might be interested in providing one another with emotional support and strategies for daily living, I am interested in hearing about people’s experiences with the D.C. police, the judicial system, and other resource/support organizations (such as domestic violence centers or victims rights groups) to which they may have turn to for help. Ideally, I would also like to form a group that would work with these aforementioned institutions to get them to address matters of stalking more effectively. If people are interested in forming a support network, doing advocacy work, and/or just sharing your experiences over e-mail, please contact me at audrey556@hotmail.com. All contact will be kept confidential. Thank you.

Washington, D.C.