Appeal. Odds are you just had a linked account with someone who did.

You're right. In the past year, we have seen plenty of staff come and go.
Some were fired for rigging events in favour of their friends, others for idling in the city rather than patrolling the map. I've seen one go after he gave the lengthiest ban time to his main account as his final move to quit this game. Some go after disagreements with other staff members. Quite a few simply resign as they have higher priorities in their lives.

What I haven't seen within those years was someone getting fired for wrongfully banning a player. Hypothetically, I can imagine thousands of possible scenarios where a player-run staff could take advantage of their given powers. That being said, banning innocent players is a not an issue until we have some factual proof to support it.

Summary: Staff power abuse is real. Staff wrongfully banning players could be real. It's a non issue until it actually happens and someone is fired for it.