Thread: STRATTON's perma-ban has been lifted, and why.

Stratton was perma-banned over three years ago for causing a lot of "trouble", and ultimately insulting a moderator. He did not seem to want to be a part of this community any longer, and Cliff banned him for life.
Even at the time, it was pretty clear to me he was working a "suicide by cop" angle whether he knew it or not.

About two years after the ban took place, and as I grew into my administrator role, I realized that Stratton had "done his time" and then some. A year ban was probably the most appropriate reaction, and after two years I started to feel the ban could no longer be justified. If Stratton wanted to participate in the forum, I felt the time had come to let him back in last year. However, I wasn't sure if he wanted back, and I was too lazy to ask.

Very recently it has become clear that Stratton does want to participate in the forum, as he took the effort to create a new user and post here. This showed how dragging my feet was no longer acceptable, and I have lifted the ban. Under my reading and enforcement of the forum rules, the forum staff does not ban members for insulting the forum staff. If that were the case, I'd have dozens of members perma-banned in my wake. Keeping Stratton banned for an infraction we no longer enforce, and after he'd been banned for so long, seemed absolutely unjust.

I have unconditionally welcomed Stratton back to the forum. It seemed the only just thing to do.
I realize the timing of this seems suspicious. I accept full blame for that. I should have lifted his ban over a year ago.

yay

Seems suspect...

...from neutral party.

As a noob who doesn't know the entire context, but has been reading recent developments, growing the community by letting bygones be bygones sounds like a good move.

Whether it's a fresh face, or an old one, welcome.

I won't let historical drama cloud my opinions, because it's not my business.

Great, Stratton is good people, haven't heard from him since he sold the nx, got a wrangler and maybe bought a house. I may get back into the community, I haven't seen nick (nismo1997) either. What's his new username?

Stratton is my boy, he is a good dude that voices his opinion.
I respect that, a lot of others wanna run around and talk behind people's backs.
Welcome back stratt

I don't know what the moderator powers are here, but I don't think any forum should let one moderator be the judge, jury and executioner. Nice to see that he wants to come back and hopefully everyone shakes it off.

Please note that if this lovein extends to chapnutz, I will not be on the forum anymore. That said, I got nothing against strat. Game on.

chapnutz1 ripped off members of the community. He was banned from the classifieds and blacklisted for that. He then made a credible threat toward a forum member while already "on probation", so he was banned from the forum entirely for 3 months. After the ban lifted, he showed no sign of making amends with those he ripped off, so he was banned permanently. There could be more details, I forget.
All of the rules chapnutz1 broke are still in place, and just like JGY Customs, JMR Garage, Overkill Engineering, etc. there are absolutely no plans to ever lift their bans.

Stratton was only guilty of being loud, obnoxious, and argumentative. He went against a direct staff order, and for that he deserved a ban. But we don't ban people permanently for that. Stratton deserved the chance to cool down and return. His ban should have been for a year at the most, probably more like 3 months (as Chappy was given only 3 months for legit physical threats toward another member).

I hope that explains it.

Very nice good move!

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