non-stop throughout the week to find a common ground so that we can reach consensus to a healthy Steem ecosystem together.

A consensus on what exactly? What needs to happen here is exactly what was happening before you bought out steemit.

You got scammed by Ned, its shitty and I hope everything works out for you. But if he didnt tell you what those funds were for then it is him that needs to pay you back. Don't take your anger out on steem, and don't try and make the community look like the bad guys here.

We're nervous that after such a difficult start to this experience that Steem users will freeze our funds again the second we're no longer occupying witness positions.

Trust me dude, if Ned got to keep all the money then you have nothing to worry about. Nobody wants to set the precedent that it is ok to freeze someones wallet.

But this is a weird situation. That wasn't Neds money that you bought. That steem was for every steem user present and future.

If it wasn't for that promise that Ned made then Steem may have never even gotten off the ground. And at the very least many of the major investors would have been much more cautious.

Edit: I don't have anything invested in this platform. I tried with multiple accounts to get into it, but it always felt weird to post here. I'm probably going to go back to lurking when this drama clears.

But as afraid as you are of losing your money, the people here are afraid of losing theirs. A soultion can be reached, but its going to heavily rely on what you do with the 15 percent of steem in your possession that was meant to help the community.

Also, thank you for the upvote, but its probably better off going to someone else.