The problem with checks and balances is sometimes they don’t just check other people. Sometimes, they check us, too.

It isn’t just dramatic irony. It’s an illustration of equity. The head of the Internal Revenue Services should be just as likely to be audited as anyone who turns in a tax return. The cop who writes speeding tickets has to follow the speed limit, too. The rules are the rules. Or they are supposed to be.

In April, Pittsburgh was horrified by a shooting on the North Side. Two boys were killed. Other people were shot or hurt by broken glass as a terrified crowd fled the bullets flying at an overcrowded party at an Airbnb.

There was a justifiable response from the community. There was outrage and confusion. How could this happen? Why wasn’t there better regulation? Why didn’t Airbnb crack down on the use of these houses for parties without restriction? Why didn’t the local government do something to protect the community, homeowners and the renters from situations that could go so terribly wrong?

On Monday, Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam was anticipating an October birthday trip to Miami, North Carolina and Philadelphia to take in Steelers and Pitt football games when Air­bnb sent her an email. Her reservation was canceled.

“We’ve recently completed an evaluation of your Airbnb account,” the email said. The decision? Hallam was banned from using the service.

That email turned up something Hallam has been very honest about — her criminal record and drug possessions stemming from an opioid addiction. It’s something she has worked to put behind her and something plenty of Pennsylvanians share as the state struggles with an addiction epidemic.

But it’s also something Airbnb screened as a potential danger. Plenty of people would empathize and identify with that, too. There is a reason employers, landlords and others do criminal background checks.

After Hallam took the issue to social media, Airbnb responded and reversed its decision.

“I am more concerned about everyone else who isn’t an elected official and doesn’t have a social media platform to help them get reinstated,” said Hallam, who would like the company to be more clear about what merits a ban and what doesn’t and why.

What the incident shows isn’t that Hallam was dangerous or not or that Airbnb was right or wrong. It’s that while we would like one size to fit all, it doesn’t.

Criminal justice reform has been a hot topic for years. Republican Donald Trump championed it through son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner’s efforts during his presidency. So have Democrats like Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.

Everyone wants safety when it protects them and freedom when it is in their best interest. There’s just no way to make that happen without somebody bending a little in the process.

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