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it went out all over the country. The papers picked it up, and the Wall Street Journal did a huge story on it, just taking my story right out of the Congressional Record, and I got mail from all around the country saying how nice it was -- really nice that you did this.”

And then I had a different reaction from a guy like Jack Newfield. Jack Newfield happens to like me now. At one time he did not.

Jack Newfield is a political writer, largely for the Voice.

Correct. Jack Newfield said to people, “I'll never forgive Ed Koch for arresting that guy. What a terrible thing to a arrest that guy.” You can make out two cases: a panhandler, why do you arrest him? He's not a panhandler. I'm not for panhandling, either. I don't know if I'd arrest him. He was a panhandler who threatened to beat the shit out of me! Notwithstanding that, people like Jack Newfield found it offensive that I would do that to this poor guy, this poor nine-foot tall guy.

three feet.

Right. (laughs) So that's my incident. I've always liked that one.

Oh, when I ran for the mayoralty, Biaggi, who was running