How about this:
Have a panel of 3 or 5 (I think 5 is perfect) moderators. They can even be elected by the community, so we do this democratic republic style. Ideally they will be from a variety of different viewpoints. At any time a community member can put up a vote to demod a mod if things are not going well.
This panel decides by simple majority vote to take action on a poster. What triggers this action? Could be a moderator recommendation or say, multiple posts flagged by the community.
1st action: PM warning
2nd action: deletion of posts and/or temp ban and/or containment (whatever is appropriate and decided by majority vote)
Multiple repeat offenses: perma, which must be a unanimous vote.
I think that’s a good and simple system that’s not easy to exploit. It shouldnt take a lot of work, but would be a good safety measure if anyone comes here with bad intentions (which I believe will happen if it has not already).
It doesnt have to be super complicated.