With the prevalence of social media, we parents are inundated with potential threats towards our children, exaggerated or otherwise. It can be hard to straddle the line between trying to avoid the “helicopter parent” label while still being vigilant about your child’s safety.
We’re bombarded with media clips exposing us to a variety of scenarios in which children are seen being preyed on by predators. Think of the horrible news stories that pop up right in your own Facebook feed, right? Seeing these things can put us into a tailspin of stress & fear as we try to PROTECT OUR KIDS.
Well, THIS clip shows us one tough mama shining the light of public shame on one pervert- the light of a live Facebook video, that is.
An incident at the Brickyard Plaza shopping mall in Salt Lake City, UT generated massive social media traction when outraged mother Doris Stiles-Scown shifted into full-on “Mama Bear” mode after spotting the suspect, 36 year old Jorge Leon-Alfaro, crawling beneath the door of the dressing room that her 12 year old daughter was in.
Stiles-Scown’s daughter was in the midst of trying on new clothes at Rue 21; in the short span of time that it took Doris to retrieve another size of clothing for her, Leon-Alfaro crawled beneath the door of the dressing room in an attempt to grab the child’s legs & to photograph her.
Think about that for a moment.
A child that was shopping with a parent, that was preyed upon by a pervert the instant that HER MOTHER walked away from the changing room door.
It happened during the day. It happened in the midst of other customers shopping. It happened while her mother stepped away for the briefest amount of time.
(Horrifying, isn’t it? Can you even imagine yourself in the same situation, with your own child??)
When Stiles-Scown and a store employee confronted the man, he attempted to escape by dashing from the store & fleeing into the nearby parking lot. But he clearly underestimated the wrath of a Mama Bear protecting her kids, because not only did she chase him down in the parking lot, but she recorded the incident on Facebook Live.
The suspect attempted to avoid the camera, but Stiles-Scown refused to let him escape detection. As he remained seated on the ground, surrounded by fellow shoppers securing him until the police arrive, she announced,
this sight here is what a predator looks like. i caught this guy underneath my daughter’s stall while she was changing at rue 21.
She then said to suspect Jorgen Leon-Alfaro:
not today, buddy. not today. i’m going to make sure you go viral.
And she did succeed, as her Facebook Live post boasts an unbelievable 16 MILLION views and 395K shares as of this writing.
(For licensing or usage, contact licensing@viralhog.com)You picked the wrong Mom to mess with, The wrong kid to violate. Not Today Buddy, Your luck has ran out! This Mom dont Play victim when it comes to her babies. I am their Protector, I refuse to wait helplessly, and let you walk away nameless and unpunished? you can run but Mama bear wont stop until the predator becomes the prey! #NotYourSilentVictim #YourTimeIsUp#Yourturntobethevictim#PedophileExposed
Posted by Doris Stiles-Scown on Saturday, August 18, 2018
Her voice trembling with emotion, Stiles-Scown confronts the pervert’s disgusting behavior with these heartbreaking words concerning her daughter:
that’s what she gets for her birthday? it’s her birthday in two days. she gets some sick pervert looking under her stall, trying to grab her??
what you did to her, you’re going to leave a permanent scar.
Any parent can relate to this painful reality. A 12 year old girl should be able to feel safe in a dressing room while shopping with her parent. While she’ll likely recover from this incident, she will never forget it.
And her mother ensured that Jorgan Leon-Alfaro won’t be forgotten, either; the peeping pedophile was arrested & slapped with felony charges of voyeurism of a child under the age of 14.
But what’s truly noteworthy about this incident is not just that he was caught & will be held accountable for his actions, but the massive positive response to the video. While some commentors criticized Stiles-Scown’s decision to chase the perpetrator & film him, the vast majority not only agree with her actions, but applaud them.
Many commentors suggested they would have done bodily harm to the perp (which, to be honest, was my gut reaction too!), and congratulated Stiles-Scown for his public shaming.
Why the tremendous support? Because the majority of parents are tired, so tired, of feeling like no matter how careful we are with our kids (and constant vigilance in public can be exhausting!), things like THIS still happen. It’s enraging that they do, & tragic that our kids have to even be aware of dangers like this.
So to see one Mama Bear decide to go above & beyond in reminding one man publicly why it’s NOT ok to sexually harass children, well, I’m ok with that.
In fact, I’m impressed!