1) Decreased site traffic
2) Fear of cancel culture - with a requisite show of effort to control the previously unbridled free speech which sometimes veered from PC thinking, a layer of defense has been created. If someone comes hunting to expose this site or it’s owners, plausible deniability now exists.
3) This was not complicated. The ops sought to clear some of ridiculous and worthless posts and posters that had started to build up, as well as to let the regulars simmer down. It also would allow some others using the site as an outlet for therapy to seek other avenues of treatment.
I hope that it was #3 or some other reason that I didn’t list. I hope that the result is a culling of some of the professionally paid internet political posters that I believe had located the site as well.
But, I think it was a very sad thing that it happened, and I do not agree with the decision to shut down.