Okay....here we go...
Trust is the root issue here. Since there is mass hate (and haters are indeed gonna hate), there are no opportunities for truly spontaneous RP. As an Outlaw, one of the first things we have to teach people who join is how to initiate a robbery OOCly (or murder etc.). The reason for this is because nobody wants to be robbed/killed OOCly, and as true anywhere, people fail to separate their characters from themselves. So when a robbery happens, they feel like they -really- were robbed. This leads to people being OOC out for blood. It's the same reason why most RP fights suck, because most can't stand an IC loss OOCly. The other problem is, unfortunately, that while the character in question was willing to return the stuff in an RP, there are indeed those who do it to sell the items for IG money, or to be annoying. While with the Red Crystal Den, there was definitely concern for people who may log out in the den, then log in during off hours to clean it out, as we were very careful to always lock up every day. Now, if indeed the player was banned without any talks with the GMs about his intentions, then there is an issue with it. BUT perhaps it would be wise for the player who does this to inform the robbed, even if it's after the fact, so they know that they shouldn't take it personal. Again, this is a game, and as I've read in countless MMORPG forums, we should all know to separate the game from real life. But, it happens. The banhammer probably came swiftly due to the negative PR the game has been getting (both deservedly and undeservedly), and if it appears that they allow griefing (intentional or unintentional) it creates more bad press.
Another huge reason for the state of things IMO (and I've seen it in other games as well), is *GW Bush word coming* GUILDIFICATION. What this new invented term means is that guilds are growing strongly OOCly instead of ICly, mainly based on game theory instead of game settings. In essence, while players who have voiced there opinion and left have been deemed the "Nazis", PS has been growing many small (or large) "Nazi" groups for a while now, whether its the "RP Nazi", the "PL Nazi", the "I want to be a Paladan who cares if this isn't Warcraft Nazi", the "Don't Discuss Other Projects While You're Here Nazi", etc. There is no one person or group to blame. These groups VERY OBVIOUSLY formed, and it was ALLOWED to perpetuate to the point where the community divides became strong. Real life example: Democrats and Republicans. No matter if one side comes up with a positive solution to make change, the other party is likely to side against it to advance their own side. This game is no different. Most have taken a side, and they will stick to it, and whether liked or not, the GM Position will always be a side. And when devs/testers/gms are calling players Nazis, they are putting the community at arms length and dividing it further by adding fuel to the fire. The GMs -and- the players need to take responsibility in this. Players need to stop dividing and start uniting, and GMs need to stop using banning/kicking/censorship to threaten its community instead of using forums like these where players discuss their differences to find the root cause. Because while it's easy to be right, its much harder to be humble, and a huge dose of humility is definitely what the doctor ordered.
Thanks for listening. I play MMORPGs for the people I meet. And a huge part of why I left was to join some of them elsewhere. If anyone wants PS to succeed, its not about RP or PL or any of it. It's about people. We stop acting like animals to each other when we start seeing the people on the other side of the chatbox.