Here is hopefully the final iteration of the Craigslist harassment against me that occurred last weekend. As already noted, the person responsible has already contacted me and apologized and has said they will not do it again. I did file a report with the HPU but have decided not to persue this further given what I know and what I reckon to be a sincere apology. Just to clarify, at no time did I ever sign a complaint, just filed a report to protect myself should this had escalated further.
I do think with 99% certainty that this is the best course of action for me to take. The "perpetrator" is a frequent commenter on Hoboken 411 which confirmed my initial suspicions but I believe he/she acted on his own given his account of the situation. Some people are still critical of me for not demanding more from this person but those who need to know have already figured it out as to who it is. I feel there is no need to publicize this or his identity any further. Should this ever occur again I know my rights and will take the proper legal action and will not show the forgiveness that I have shown here. Lets move forward.
Here is "Guilty_Party's" apology letter to the editor :
To whom it may concern,
I wanted to write an email to you to express how sorry I am for the prank I pulled on your website. 1st and foremost I would like to apologize to the owner of the site and its readers. My actions were completely childish, foolish, hurtful and very uncalled for. I was angry at something that was said on your site and rather than be a grown up about it, I decide to be a bitch and stick it to you by posting your personal information online. The last few days I have felt quite empty inside and embarrassed of my actions. As a person that normally speaks what they are feeling face to face with people or handles things professionally, I have lowered myself to a standard that I am truly sorry for. For those of you readers or owners of this site that can forgive me and my antics, thank you and for those of you that do not, it is ok, I understand and agree with you 200%.
As the guilty party who wishes to remain anonymous I can assure you that I do not own another site in Hoboken, I am though a periodic commentor on many local and national websites. The prank was all my idea, I was not asked to do it. The personal information I obtained was done through internet search, it was not given to me by anyone. I am to blame only and nobody else. I am a resident with interests in our community. My interests in this town have already been effected by my actions and may further be effected. I am someone that has donated to countless charities in Hoboken in the last few months because I wanted other people to gain financially from my kindness. I have come to learn that many of the people associated with Hoboken Journal are people I have met before, people that know me to be a good citizen of the town. Many of the readers of the site are friends with my friends or colleagues.
I am a real ASSHOLE here. I did a low life thing and my actions may cause me a demise locally and I can not change that, what is done is done and I must answer to what comes my way. For those of you that are reading this, please judge me by what I have done for the community in the past and what I may be able to do for the community in the future. I think as people we all make mistakes in life, some minor and some major. If we correct our mistakes and learn from our experiences and do not make the same mistakes again then we should be praised. If we continue to make mistakes then we should be judged and dealt with appropriately.
In closing my prank was seriously a prank. I am NOT a STALKER. My prank was done over the course of a few days and I was through with it, case closed and the intended target was scared and did the right thing by protecting himself should the prank have persisted and the owner of the site was right in doing so. I will honestly still feel like shit for a while. I have again as stated before lowered myself to a position I never thought I would lower myself to. Please accept this apology
I would also like to take this time to apologize to KS. I am an asshole for what I did and I am REALLY sorry and I hope you can in some small way forgive me. I am really a good person and I did not think before I did. I am sorry.
Signed
It was me not him (aka Guilty_Party)
Update 9:55PM:
Dear readers- Tonight I did get a call from the person who admitted to me responsibility for the prank that was initially set up through an intermediary. To apologize to an angry giant (righfully so) takes guts and has earned my respect as potentially as unsettling as this could have become if it had persisted. I am not a vindictive person by nature and this person's sincere apology to me is enough for me to let bygones be bygones.
In respect for that person, I would request that this issue be dropped as a discussion and we move forward. Yes, it was a prank and perhaps a stupid one or clever depending on your perspective but now that I have spoken to that person and know their genuine remorse I consider the issue closed.
Original post:
Looks like the politics of personal destruction have continued in the new year:
Someone has been using my cell number on Craigslist.com posting false posts (with different names each time) to flood my phone with calls over the weekend. There were multiple posts each time using a different name but using my cell number. Therefore it is certainly not a one time accident. Any guess as to who is behind this? Ha ha. I got about 150 calls and texts. I called a few of the duped people back and got them to block the posts and then turned my phone off. What's next, threats to beat me up? That would be a laugh.
Looks like even though my site may have modest traffic I am clearly getting to someone or some faction of demented souls. Someone who perhaps has a lot of time on their hands and a political axe to grind? Somone who perhaps can't stand me and has my cell phone number?
Here is the recap...
On Saturday evening January 2nd around 7PM there were two fake posts on Craigslist, one for free Jets tickets and one giving away a free laptop. They were both fake and listed my cell phone. Those posts were eliminated within 30 minutes. The issue again resurfaced on Sunday night with at least two other posts around 8PM.
Here are two of the fake posts from Sunday:
1) Need 25 people to clear 3 floors tomorrow morning and afternoon (Downtown)
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Date: 2010-01-03, 6:43PM EST
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$23.58 is the hourly pay and you will be given cash at the end of the shift which will run from 8am-4pm.Note you must work entire shift to be paid, should you have to leave early the check will be mailed to you, sorry cash will not arrive until 4pm. He pay for lunch and beverages. The duties are to clear office furniture from 3 floors.It is about 35k sq feet involved.3 elevators to use and dollies. All trucks have lift gates. Simple work. Our movers cancelled out, please call only to sign up.Call Ms. Gaffney at NNN-NNN-NNNN (my cell number). No emails will be accepted or returned and this post will be removed after 25 calls are made.You must call and give name to work for insurance purposes,those that arrive without calling will not be allowed to work, thank you.
•it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
•Compensation: $23.58 per hour
PostingID: 1535831199
2) Free plasma tv bike baseball glove plates washer dryer (Greenwich Village)
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Date: 2010-01-03, 6:48PM EST
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Moving and can not take the items,tv is plasma panasonic and works fine, 4 yrs old, bike is a mountain bike by mongoose, 5 yrs old nice, works fine, assorted other things, free bed set, furniture,books, plus much more must get rid of by 10pm.
Tonight call NNN-NNN-NNNN (my cell number). Ask for Jonah
•it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 1535837284
My comment: If these actions are meant to deter me from writing my thoughts on this blog, this will not stop me. It will only embolden me to continue covering local events in Hoboken that much more. These acts could indeed constitute criminal and or civil harrassment on the local, state or Federal level. Had a nice chat with the Newark FBI this morning. They were very helpful. We will see how this unfolds.
In the meantime the remediation is simple for me; turn off my phone should this happen again. ◦
