This has got to stop.
By “this” I mean creepy men stalking women while they are outside just trying to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air.
I was out on the patio of my local pub on Burnaby Mountain when I started chatting with another table about what’s going on in the community.
I like chatting with people because they often offer up some interesting story ideas.
One of my table neighbours brought up a story the NOW ran back in March about a Coquitlam who was followed by a strange man on the trails around Burnaby Lake.
“The same thing happened to me,” the woman said. “I was out for a hike going from SFU to the parking lot on the other side (of Burnaby Mountain where Horizons used to be located) and this guy was walking way too close to me. I stopped and pretended to tie my shoe and he passed me. But a few minutes later I heard footsteps and he was behind me again. He was further back but how did he end up behind me again. So I started jogging until I got to the parking lot and there were people there. He disappeared but he creeped me out.”
The woman told me she wanted to film the guy but was afraid of what might happened if she pulled out her phone.
That sounds like more than a coincidence. It sounds terrifying and too familiar.
This follows an incident relayed to the NOW in March by Melody Johnson, who said she entered the Burnaby Lake trails at the Cariboo Dam entrance just as the man seemed to be leaving the park.
Shortly after he passed her, however, she realized he had turned around and was following her. The man ended up following her for quite a distance. She too tried stopping and tying her shoe, but the man eventually ended up right behind her. She eventually called police.
The woman I spoke to didn’t call the police, saying she didn't think it would do much good because the man was wearing a mask and a hat, so she didn't have a good description.
At the time of the March incident, Burnaby RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Brett Cunningham called the man’s behaviour “concerning.”
“The woman in this situation did the right thing,” he said. “She did not turn her back, stepped aside and attempted to let the man pass. When he continued to follow, she sought immediate help from someone nearby and called the police.”
Contact Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
These two incidents are hardly the only ones. Most of the women in my life have told me this sort of thing has happened to them. Dudes following them, asking inappropriate questions, making suggestive comments, being creeps.
It’s pathetic and dangerous behaviour so if you’re one of these creeps, please stop. If you know someone who does this, report them.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
