The TS Mods and staff have done things pretty professionally here. I haven't seen all of the details, and shouldn't. But everything we've seen so far indicates that people were treated fairly well.
I've spoken to both Howard and Rik on IRC. Howard before he did what he did is a TOTALLY different person than what he is now. You really need to keep this in mind. I liked the old Howard, I grew to respect him. I don't know if I can do that now (Disclaimer, this was reading through logs, not talking with him, so I'll still give him a chance.) I could post some logs that would make you cringe. It really wasn't pretty.
At any rate, based on all appearances, the staff has been honest and straight forward with us users on this. They recovered from Howard's damages, and then contained the situation. Honestly, what would you have done in Julio's situation? Or if someone you employed set fire to the office or destroyed large amounts of client's papers?
After staff hearing some about the situation, I think Howard was allowed to return a little under another name. However, his behavior was erratic after that point. A second chance is amazing in this situation, you should understand why it'd be approached cautiously. When the signs were that things wouldnt' have worked, I can see why he'd be dismissed again. We try to help people here. A turbulent environment just isn't conducive to that.
Also, I should mention, I wish Howard a speedy recovery and hope he gets lots of support from his family, friends, and doctors like he needs. I feel for him, I've had a breakdown myself, it's no fun at all.
I'm going to disclaim that I do know SNGX1275 and Poertner in real life- went to college with them. But I've interacted with many current and past staff (Stormbringer, Soul Harvester, Nodsu, to name a few), and all of them have been pretty level headed, thoughtful, friendly, and cool about things. I'd have done a few things differently here and there, but honestly given this is the first major incident since I've joined here I'm impressed. I viewed the site as a guest for a year before registering, too. The nature of the internet is one that makes these ugly situations likely. It says something for the staff and how well they handle things that we've seen so little in the past, and how calm things have been now.
If you want to stay and contribute, by all means, feel free, but please give a little respect the volunteers who keep things running around here. A supportive and friendly environment is a fragile thing, and they do wonderfully to provide it for us. If you still think it's right to leave and think that things could have been handled better, good luck to you in the future.