Stalking: Native American women more likely to be stalked than any other racial group

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

January is National Stalking Awareness Month. We have all heard the stories on the news. A protective order is obtained, the victim is found dead—often along with others. For Indian country this has special meaning.

The numbers for the general population are horrific. In just released statistics, more than 3.4 million Americans, women and men of all races and religions, become stalking victims every year. These numbers are low because many women, and even more men, do not report stalking—afraid, born out by research, that no action will be taken. In comparison, 1.2 million people are diagnosed with heart attacks, 350,000 people suffer strokes, and 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually. Victims of these diseases have well funded research organizations. Few resources are dedicated to the problem of stalking.

In Indian Country the numbers are far worse. American Indian women are more likely to be stalked than any other racial group (17%), mostly by non-Indians, compared to white women (8.2%), African-American women (6.5%), and Asian/Pacific women (4.5%). Contrary to the stereotypes that victims are passive and don’t defend themselves, in Indian country it is our leaders of both genders who are stalked--college students, attorneys, grassroots organizers, tribal leaders, etc. And while no careful research has been done, observations have been made that Indian men seem to be stalked more than has been recognized previously. And we know these people. These are not distant numbers. These are our own Indian people, known to us.

One tribal social worker, after being stalked for more than a decade, remains haunted by him, because even after his death, she can’t believe he’s really dead since she did not “see him put into the ground.” In the 1990s one non-Indian woman in a high administrative position on an Oklahoma campus stalked three well known male Indian leaders over a period of several years. She carried her handgun always and threatened them with her skill at target shooting. She abducted one victim to a nearby state. She stole a pet from another victim, broke in and destroyed all of his property, including regalia. Their children’s lives were threatened. She constantly called, harassed, and pretended a suicide attempt after killing another pet. There were witnesses, but nothing has been done to this day. She has moved from state to state and university to university and has never been stopped. Why?

Some tribal leaders have blamed the large numbers of stalking victims on the increased levels of alcoholism that Indians experience. However, brain research has demonstrated that alcoholism and drug addiction are separate factors from both stalking and battering. Stalking victims often do begin drinking after they’ve been stalked for a number of years because they get so little help or understanding of the problem from tribal and social service agencies. It is interesting that we are so eager to blame the victim—even when most perpetrators of stalking are non-Indian. Another common myth in Indian country is that stalking just happens to Indians on Indian lands because of different legal jurisdictions where non-Indians will not be arrested. The fact is that almost no one of any race gets help. It is difficult to get people—family, friends, neighbors, law enforcement—to take stalking seriously.

Victims of stalking may be students, employers, neighbors, strangers, or in a relationship with the stalker. The most frequent victims—up to 50%--are counselors stalked by former clients. Stalkers are usually older, more intelligent, have higher levels of education and status, and are the most violent of all criminals. Our prisons are overflowing, but research shows that few stalkers are ever arrested or prosecuted. Why?

Part of the problem is that we have confused stalking with “domestic violence” or battering—and “one size fits all” responses. While some stalkers may also batter, brain studies show that stalking is different from battering and must be treated differently. Batterers respond to misperceived threats in a physical way to “protect” themselves from the perceived threat. Stalkers excel in planning, scheming and subtlety. They now use electronic technology to expand their power—emails, tracking devices, identity theft, mail theft, bank account theft, wiretapping. They use mind games to make victims “feel crazy” and successfully obtain help from others—called proxy stalkers. They break and enter, destroy property, kill pets, threaten designated victims, their family and friends. They commit many crimes as part of stalking, crimes that you and I would be arrested for, yet remain untouched by the law. Again, why?

As an obsessive-compulsive condition, stalkers do become addicted—not to external substances but to their own brain chemicals. The longer they stalk the more obsessive they become until they kill. The stalker’s primary victim suffers many losses: safety, trust, income, children, and ultimately, loss of life. Common practice insists that victims obtain protective orders. These are often effective with batterers; however, stalkers ignore them and are often incited to violence by them.

Entire article located here:

http://nativetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=937&Itemid=35

[GCTMT]

That's disturbing. I can not understand why Native Americans are more likely to become victims of stalking. Perhaps one of the reasons is the old notion that Natives are somehow less than human. If one is able to "other" another human being, he/she could "rationaly" do all sorts of unspeakable things to them.

Of course I could be completely off base with this theory, but I would be very interested to know why this is happening more to Native Americans than other races.

[star.crush]

I dont believe that where do you get your statistics from ?

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

The data is supplied to us via this article. They have webpages listed at the bottom as a source of reference.

[Bobbkat]

I'm Ojibwa, and I was stalked a while ago, for about 2 years, by a caucasian male. The fact that statistically I was more likely to be stalked than anyone else in the country is.....beyond creepy.

[Nurse Ratchett007]

That's disturbing. I can not understand why Native Americans are more likely to become victims of stalking. Perhaps one of the reasons is the old notion that Natives are somehow less than human. If one is able to "other" another human being, he/she could "rationaly" do all sorts of unspeakable things to them.

Of course I could be completely off base with this theory, but I would be very interested to know why this is happening more to Native Americans than other races.

im sorry u heard that notion. Im a very educated and very beautiful athabascan nurse. If anything, people are jealous because Im very cultured and people spend thousands of dollars to have my tan. WOW. Ive never heard that notion...ever.

[calledtodo]

What hasn't happened to Native Americans?, it really is tragic, the past and the future. The sad thing about it is people think they like to have negative attention brought to them. They just want peace and to be left alone to go on with their lives like everyone else.