Communities are strongest when fear does not set the terms of compassion. The court has taken a difficult decision, weighing rules about the use of a building against the immediate need to keep people safe under a roof. Local residents are entitled to be heard, particularly after troubling incidents and unrest, but they are also entitled to calm leadership that lowers the temperature rather than raising it. In the end this is a matter of how we live together, and that is never solved by shouting outside a hotel. Do we really strengthen our islands by hardening our hearts?