D-Day

Texas fella here, too. The big festivals that have anything to do with pirating around here are (that I know of): 1. Scarborough Faire 2. The Pirate Days of the Colony 3. The Texas Renaissance Festival 4. The Middlefaire...erm...faire? These are all late summer fests except for Scarborough which does indeed start 4 April. The only thing earlier than that (that I know of) is an event up in Oklahoma in January.

Born, bred, and with the drawl to prove it! A bit to the north of you, I'd say, but definitely a Texan.

Well, first of all, hello, everyone. First post here...and what a thread to walk in on! Syren, anyone touching you...in any fashion...against your will IS a crime. Just giving you the creeps may not be something they are required to act on, but touching like you've mentioned...no no. Your police force sounds like they are doing the "Texas Good Ol' Boy" thing and downplaying all of this. I've lived here most of my life and have seen it plenty of times, I'm afraid. Anyhoo, let me offer you this quote from expertlaw.com. "Battery A battery is the willful or intentional touching of a person against that person's will by another person, or by an object or substance put in motion by that other person. Please note that an offensive touching can constitute a battery even if it does not cause injury, and could not reasonably be expected to cause injury. A defendant who emphatically pokes the plaintiff in the chest with his index finger to emphasize a point may be culpable for battery (although the damages award that results may well be nominal). A defendant who spits on a plaintiff, even though there is little chance that the spitting will cause any injury other than to the plaintiff's dignity, has committed a battery." Nuff said. He touches you, you can and likely should remind him of the fact that he can end up listening to the sound of the judge's voice. Unfortunately, it will likely end up being a misdemeanor charge that will honestly have no real pain to it, but.... As always, I heavily suggest that you don't take my word for this. Checking in with your local police and asking them to define "assault" and "battery," as well as how you should engage them if the situation comes up again, will probably clear things up a lot. It will probably make them take you a bit more seriously as well. You've just gone from being just a voice to being a very potential person they will have to deal with soon.