Fear of a Coffee Cup - Why Context is Crucial to Understanding Stalking, with SPARC

Would seeing a cup of coffee terrify you? What if it was made exactly how you like it from that new café you just found? What if you found the cup of coffee in your car, still warm, with a nickname you haven’t used in years scrawled on the side? 

Julia Holtemeyer of the Stalking Awareness, Prevention and Resource Center (SPARC) joins this episode of Unsilenced to:

• Explore what constitutes stalking
• Share real-life examples of stalking - demonstrating why context is imperative to understanding the severity of threats
• Explain how dangerous stalking can be in an intimate partner relationship

Contents:

(0:00) Introduction

(01:42) Definition of stalking

(07:10) Retroactive fear

(08:42) Examples of Stalking

(09:13) Fear of a Coffee Cup

(11:37) Fear of Flower Delivery

(12:56) Fear of a Bottle Cap

(14:02) Social and Professional Costs

(15:28) Why Do People Stalk?

(21:34) Stalking and Mental Health Issues

(24:11) Stalking and Intimate Partner Relationships

(30:50) About JBWS & Services

About JBWS and Services:

If you are in an unhealthy relationship and living or working in Morris County, New Jersey JBWS can help call our 24-Hour Helpline at 1.877.782.2873 or visit ⁠⁠jbws.org/services.

If you notice controlling or unhealthy behaviors in yourself, JBWS can help. Call 973.539.7801 or visit jbws.org/jcnv. 

⁠⁠If you don't live or work in Morris County, NJ please visit https://www.thehotline.org/ or call 800.799.SAFE (7233)

Intro and outro music donated by Billy Morris

 

ABOUT SPARC:

SPARC (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center) is a federally funded project providing education and resources about the crime of stalking. SPARC aims to enhance the response to stalking by educating the professionals tasked with keeping stalking victims safe and holding offenders accountable. To stay up-to-date on SPARC’s resources and offerings, follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter) @FollowUsLegally and/or subscribe to our quarterly newsletter. SPARC does not provide direct services to victims. We recommend that stalking victims work with a local victim advocate, and the Victim Connect hotline can help connect victims with one. Local victim advocates can help plan for safety, discuss legal options, and connect victims with additional services. Victim Connect can be contacted at https://victimconnect.org/ f