Remember when you started calling me two years ago? You told me how much you knew about me, my name, where I lived, that I did not drive and so had to walk to get anywhere. You kept calling me, sometimes daily, sometimes weekly, always from blocked numbers.

I called the cops about you. Because they do not view stalking as "an immediate threat", I had to leave a message. they responded two days later and told me to write down the times when you called me. I learned how to trace phone calls from the phone company. If the phone company traces three calls to the same number, they would write a letter to my stalker. If my stalker called from different or untraceable numbers, they cannot even do that much.

Now, my dearest stalker, I have a dilemma. You know, and you enjoy knowing, that you have intimidated me. I cannot safely go out at night to watch a movie or to buy a carton of milk. I dare not go anywhere alone. You can well imagine that this limits my life considerably, especially here, where nights are long much of the year and I do not get off work until after dark.

The police are of no help. They cannot station a cop by my door nor have one escort me everywhere. Since I am not a politician, the State does not provide me with a bodyguard and I cannot afford to hire one full-time. I hope you don't mind that I have solved part of the problem. I can now feel secure in my home, because I have means of defending myself here.

The other problem, how to survive outside of my home, remains. In our state, getting a permit to carry requires showing a "compelling need." That means that being a public figure or carrying large sums of money would qualify me for a permit. Being merely a law-abiding woman pursued by a stalker would not be a good enough reason from me to get a permit.

If I had physical evidence, perhaps a bullet hole or two in my windows, they would consider giving me the permit. So, my dear stalker, please write to me. A letter stating clearly who you are and when you plan to attack me would go a long way toward convincing my local Chief of Police that I deserve a means of self-protection.

=A woman in Minneapolis=