Listen, my friend, I'm not trying to blame anyone. I understand the position you felt you were in.
But I can't help but see it the way I do: Citizen was a valuable member, and one way or another, the forum drove Citizen away. Furthermore, even if a forum is proprietary, it is fundamentally nothing more than its members (a dead forum is no forum, regardless of who pays for the site upkeep and sets the rules). Therefore, a forum is wise to cultivate the best members.
Your position is fundamentally that Citizen was in intractable conflict with the rules; so be it. But if I were asked to choose between the value of a member like Citizen and a rule which precludes his membership, my estimation would favor the member every time.
The forum is the worse for it. This doesn't need to be an attack on you on your moderation; I see it as a harsh criticism of certain site rules and policies which I believe have been detrimental in the long run.