Response from, "Homeless man...." article posted by Michael Dinan of Stamford Patch.

Dear Mr. Dinan:
       I am the "homeless man", who appeared as the subject of the within referenced article.
     Since the Patch is a publication whose emphasis is upon the trivial, being a local newspaper, it is somewhat understandable that there appeared in the article, an emphasis on what sells to the small minded. Therefore, your usage of the words, "homeless" and "disturbance" are not surprising.
      Also, kindly allow me to correct some of the factual errors which appeared in your obviously unresearched and journalistically irresponsible article.
     As a homeless person, who is also a college graduate, with journalistic experience, here's some enlightenment relative to erroneous beliefs regarding the homeless.
Hopefully, this will produce a greater understanding and empathy among both you and your readers.               There are innumerable reasons for a person to find him or herself homeless. Utilization of Ferguson Library facilities is not one of them.
     The fact that this is a disposition that a person may unfortunately find oneself in should never be used as a sales tool for a newspaper or anything else, this being thereby, simply exploitation, a fact which the media is too often callously guilty of.
     At the time of my arrest, I was not actually homeless, although I have been at times.  I gave the arresting officer the address of 597 Pacific Street(an address with a decidedly negative stigma in Stamford), since I didn't want the officer to know my actual residence address at the time.
     The criminal charges donated to me by Stamford, P.D. were both 3rd degree criminal trespass and breach of peach, both of which were later were dismissed by Stamford Superior Court.
     Yes, I was drunk, hence my obtrusive behavior in the library.
     There is no such municipality as Bergen, N.J.  I believe you meant Bergen County, N.J. There was a $100,000.00 bond imposed as a means to hopefully hold a person with an out-of-state warrant.  I was not released on a $1,000.00 bond from Stamford. The charges were dismissed in Stamford 10 days after my arrest, as well as the 100K bond, and I was then transported to Bergen County, N.J.
    Your reporting is yet another example of why it would be wise for you, as a journalist, to assure yourself of the facts before publication, and why it would be wise for all readers to not accept media reports as undeniable certainty.         

Sincerely,
//////////////
Douglas C. Panetta