Context: a broken step is someone or something within your community which only the locals know to avoid.
Suppose we have a confederation, and someone within the confederation is accused of being dangerous to others in some way. If we kick them out then what stops them from going somewhere else and repeating the pattern? Or coming back for revenge? Or, Stirner Forbid, they’re innocent? And even if they are dangerous, is that any reason to turn them away? We make considerations when it comes to wolves and cacti but draw the line at cousins? But they could hurt the community… you see my dilemma.
Edit: this is not a hypothetical, but I don’t want to get into details. We’re not going to beat anyone up because we can’t confirm anything actually happened.
You’ve gotta make it awkward until they step up and improve, or they get fed up and leave. Make a fuss when they do something bad so everyone knows. Tell new people whatever’s wrong with that prson (and that they’re working on it (they are, right?)) AND tell the person in question that you said something (how is this supposed to get better if they don’t know they’re a problem). Don’t be a bunch of conflict-averse nerds who will let anything fester to avoid a fight.
This is impractical in organizing. We don’t have time or energy for this. And the org has a mission, it puts other people off, new members see dysfunction.