Billings’ Courage Can Teach Plenty

You walk into your office and every chair has been moved, every drawer opened. In the evening, as you close the blinds, you wonder: “Is he out there, watching me?” Bullets arrive in the mail with notes that say: “You don’t deserve to live.” Your normal, busy world disappears. A stalker has targeted you. Let the torture begin.

That’s what happened recently to Judith Billings, Washington state superintendent of public education. Phillip Harrison, a public employee Billings laid off due to budget cuts, is in jail now after pleading guilty to two counts of felony harassment. He still denies he’s the stalker, but state troopers found substantial evidence in Harrison’s home and briefcase tying him to the harassment.

Billings deserves support, encouragement and thanks for going public with her story. Billings says she will not be scared away from serving the state nor will she shy away from making tough decisions that may anger people and send a few troubled ones over the edge. She hopes others are not scared off, either.

She said: “The worst thing we could do is let people out there that are a little bit off keep good people from giving their talent to the public.”

Billings also demonstrated that victims of stalkers can fight back. Billings notified law enforcement officials and took precautions, but she kept on the job, wearing a bulletproof vest at times.

Celebrities and public figures are not the only targets of stalkers. A few years ago a working mother wrote in Good Housekeeping magazine about her experience with a stalker who called her all hours of the day and night, no matter how often she changed her phone number. The woman finally installed a Caller ID unit that flashed the number of the person calling. She made a map of all the phone booths near her home and wrote down the numbers. One night when the stalker called, the woman matched the phone number with the booth and called police. The man was captured. Like Billings, this woman refused to be a victim.

In Harrison’s court file, Rotary presidents, local business people and fellow Korean War veterans vouched for him. They couldn’t believe Harrison would do such a thing. But stalkers defy stereotypes. They come in both genders and they can be highly educated and successful. In recent years, a New York State judge and a college president were both convicted of stalking.

We hope Billings’ life eases back to some sense of normal, some sense of safety. She deserves kudos - and a much needed rest from fear.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Rebecca Nappi/For the editorial board