Groping

What is the recourse for groping? Like seriously what are my legal rights once someone chooses to grope me? Am I within my rites to punch him in the face? Because I OUGHT TO BE! I am completely sick of men thinking they can grab my ass whenever they like. Yeah, ok, it's large and it's out there but HANDS OFF! seriously! And there's so little to do about it. Actually, there is nothing.

I mean, I suppose I could call the cops to report harassment; by the time the 911 operator bothered to pick up the phone, the perp would be long gone and it's not as if an investigation would be (or should be) launched to find him. And suppose the guy HAPPENED to hang around long enough for the cops to come, or by some chance lost his wallet or something so I could ID him, it's still my word against his.

SOOOO let's just say that some creepballer grabs my ass. Then he IMMEDIATELY feels extremely remorseful so he waits around for me to bother the cops and make them come down and he ADMITS his total, complete guilt. What then? Like what is the punishment? He obviously won't (nor should) go to jail. I can't imagine there's a fine for that sort of thing and if there is, that's dumb. The city shouldn't get money, I SHOULD. but then that makes me a sort of prostitute, so maybe not. So what? Community service? a citation?

I guess what I'm saying is that I cannot think of an appropriate legal punishment for groping and TO ME (if you're different, no biggie), it's not a big enough deal to bother the authorities with. I really do think the MOST appropriate thing is for me to punch him. Honestly. Seems like a good trade off. Why doesn't the law work that way? Cuz the truth is, if I punch him, he COULD (and likely would since a groper is always a douchebag) call the cops and I COULD get arrested for battery or whatever. thus, I don't.

But I have been groped MULTIPLE times in the last couple of weeks - not totally sure why. In my whole year in NYC, this has not been a problem. I used to get groped in CH all the time, but that's typical on a frat-tastic campus. What's up with end-of-summer that men choose to grab me ON THE STREETS (not even in a bar situation) and keep walking? And I shout after them like it makes a difference, wishing I had the ability to punch them. because THEN my anger would have an outlet. And he would feel the same level of violation as me. Eye for an eye is not the best way to approach the law, generally speaking, but in this case I like the sound of it.