By revealing how a city employee seemed to spend virtually all his time following her in a city truck, she has directed much-needed attention to city’s supervisory practices.
That’s in addition to highlighting, by explaining what it is like to be stalked, the nature of — and remedy for — a crime that can be devastating in its psychological effects, even if nothing worse happens.
De Blois, 40, who works at Youth Court, told The Gazette’s Katherine Wilton that at first she thought she could handle the situation herself. But in the months before the stalker, 49-year-old André Martel, was arrested, De Blois said she felt terrorized. She lost 23 pounds and had trouble sleeping.
Even after Martel pleaded guilty to criminal harassment and was conditionally released on bail, he continued to follow De Blois, she says. The lawyer suddenly saw the justice system through different eyes. “I can’t imagine what it must be like for a regular person who is not a lawyer, who doesn’t have contacts with a police officer or a crown prosecutor,” she said.
“Why were taxpayers subsidizing a stalker?”, Montreal Gazette, 2010-04-23
April 23, 2010
QotD: Seeing the justice system through different eyes
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The most amazing bit of the linked article is this line:
The city was able to fire 45 workers? Where the hell was the union? How could they let this happen?
Comment by Lickmuffin — April 26, 2010 @ 10:41
Or, alternate possibility: there are some things that even municipal unions won’t protect union members over.
On second thought, that isn’t really a possibility, is it?
Comment by Nicholas — April 26, 2010 @ 10:59