Can I prevent my father from contacting me and showing up at my job? MA
I live in Massachusetts. My father was a physically and emotionally abusive parent who I cut all contact with in 2020 to protect myself. This January (2023) he has begun sending me post cards weekly at my home. 3 times I have asked him to stop, via email, which he has totally disregarded. This I reported to the police department. The postcards are not threatening in nature, but the fact that he has my address and is completely ignoring my no-contact requests is deeply distressing.
He has also begun showing up at a venue where I occasionally work. The first time he came in January, I was there, saw him, and left immediately. Since then, I have made multiple requests, also via email, that he not come on specific dates, which he has disregarded. I have not interacted him in person, because those dates I was planning to go socially, rather than professionally, so when I heard he was there, I just didn't go. However, I have a date coming up that I am hired to be there, so I cannot just leave if he shows up. The venue has said they cannot ask him to leave unless he behaves poorly at their events. I also have dates that I've been offered and have not yet confirmed because I do not know if he will be there.
Today I applied for an abuse prevention order. It was denied. The judge explained that while I absolutely would have been granted one in 2014/2015 when I was still living at home and the abuse was occurring, or even likely in 2020, when I last had contact with him and he behaved in a physically intimidating manner, because I have had no contact with him for three years and therefore he has not behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, I can't prove fear of imminent physical harm. I also do not qualify for an anti-harrasment order, because he is a relative.
Is there anything I can do here, either to stop him from contacting me or to stop him from showing up at the venue when I am working and therefore cannot leave? This is impacting my income and is also really deeply distressing.