I've been skimming the arguments on this matter and I'm trying to get a handle on it. One thing I don't understand is why Mr. Hawkins feels so aggrieved. Everyone is talking in abstract principles but I haven't seen where someone details what specific wrongs have been done to Mr. Hawkins. Not an abstract violation of an asserted right to not have an article, but actual publishing of incorrect or defamatory information. This is a case of someone we've done specific wrong using Wikipedia: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/she-was-a-librarian-but-the-int.... Have we done something similar to Hawkins?
From the AFD I read that one particular editor appears to have a
particular interest in Mr. Hawkins that allegedly crosses the bounds of propriety. I don't know if these allegations are true or not, so I won't repeat them in detail here, but if they are true, and an editor or editors violates policies and crosses lines in zealous pursuit of, shall we say, overdocumenting a BLP, can't this matter be dealt with by enforcing existing policies on article content and editor behavior? One allegation is that this editor wanted to file the UK equivalent of a FOIA request to unearth records about Hawkins. Isn't this simply prohibited by OR? Can't we just trout slap someone who suggests this and be done with it?