Sometimes we think celebrity status can protect people from police misconduct or abuse of power, but Anita Baker’s past experience proves we can’t be fooled by Grammys or zip codes.
Baker took to Twitter to reveal that she has been a victim of stalking and that police had failed to support her in the way she needed. While calling for police reform, she criticized “the system and how it fails the same demographic over and over.”
A few years ago, the “Giving You the Best That I Got” singer says she was stalked by two men and one of them was bold enough to come to her home. She revealed that the person was taken away by suburban police, but that he wasn’t charged.
Displeased, Baker took matters into her own hands to get a concealed weapon permit and met with the state police to bring charges against the stalker. The Grammy winner revealed that the local police retaliated—by pulling her car over and constantly giving her tickets—because she went over their head.
Baker tweeted that the situation turned so bad that “I simply quit driving.”
Even though this wasn’t a recent incident, the singer-songwriter said the question remains the same for everyone: “Who can you call when those designated to help you actually abuse you?”
While the legal definition of stalking differs from state to state, according to Victim Connect, it is a crime in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.
Some, like Baker’s Twitter follower @dbrailzzz, expressed belief that the police cannot act until the stalker’s behavior escalates from following, calling or texting to physical confrontation.
“I’ve heard multiple times that law enforcement can’t do anything about a stalker until they actually touch you. That’s crazy,” @dbrailzzz tweeted to Baker.
But Baker responded that this wasn’t true. Since the “Sweet Love” balladeer had proof that this person had crossed the line with inappropriate conduct, one of the stalkers was prosecuted.
The beloved singer’s Compositions album turned 30 this month.