The Young Landlords

The next morning, Gloria calls a meeting of the Action Group. Gloria tells him that Reverend Glover will allow them to use a room at the church for their Action Group headquarters.

The narrator goes to the meeting of the Action Group, at which Gloria says they need to do something to help prove their friend Chris is innocent. Omar, however, argues that Chris is guilty, and some of the others agree. Because Chris was working with someone who had been in trouble with the law before, they believe he must have become a thief, and that the police would not have arrested him unless he were guilty. After Chris is released on bail, he tells them that he has several court dates, with his trial date yet to be set.

The narrator’s father asks him what happened with Chris. The narrator finds it ironic that his father is sympathetic to Chris, yet so harsh with him.

On Monday of the following week, as the Action Group makes protest signs to picket Joseph’s office, they learn that a special delivery letter has arrived for the narrator. When he goes home and opens his letter, the narrator finds it is from an attorney and contains many documents, none of which he understands. His mother does not understand the documents either. They go to the Department of Social Services, where the narrator’s father works, to show him the papers, which he also does not understand. An attorney in the department explains to them that Joseph has sold the apartment building to the narrator, whose name is Paul Williams, for $1.00. A second lawyer agrees to serve as Paul’s attorney, and Paul lists the Action Group, along with himself, as the landlords.

The Action Group meets in the rental office, a first-floor apartment. They discuss how to fix up the building. Paul points out that they cannot raise rents unless they do so to make repairs. Dean recommends that they learn who lives in the building and hear their complaints. They decide to have a tenants’ meeting, but Dean forgets to notify the tenants.

Dean, Gloria, and Paul go door to door to introduce themselves. They meet Mr. Pete Darden in the basement. He is an older handyman who works as an on-site manager, taking out the trash and keeping the building clean in exchange for free rent. They introduce themselves to Lula Jones on the first floor, who slams her door in their faces. They go to the apartment of the two Robinson sisters, who ask when the new landlords will fix their stove. Dean sees a closed valve, opens it, and the stove works perfectly. The three go to the top floor apartment of a man who calls himself Askia Ben Kenobi. He answers the door dressed in “a robe, like the kind you see in National Geographic, with a hood and everything,” and demands that Dean remain silent “until [he has] grasped the meaning of [Dean’s] aura” (35). When Dean laughs, Kenobi uses karate chops to destroy the banister. Dean, Gloria, and Paul quickly run down the stairs.

Once they are on the bottom floor, police rush in. They hear Mrs. Jones say, “There they are! Them’s the hoodlums” (36). The police arrest the three young people and put them in a police car. Bubba looks into the police car and asks what they did. When Dean says they did nothing, Bubba comments, “You must have done something or they wouldn’t have you in a police car” (37). The police take the three to the station, where they remain for three hours before Gloria’s father gets them out. When Paul gets home, his father criticizes the way he handled the arrest. The next morning, two people from City Commissioner’s Office arrive at Paul’s house. They ask when he will fix the unsafe stair banister. Frustrated, Paul tells them to leave. The young people decide to tell Kenobi he must move, but they discover that getting him out will be extremely difficult.

Chris describes his arrest. As he sat on his stoop, two strangers approached and asked where they could get some cheap hi-fi equipment. One of the men winked at Chris and Chris winked back, after which they told him they were police and arrested him. Paul and Bubba discuss whether they arrested Chris because he seemed nervous and guilty.

The Action Group members decide to hire an accountant to collect the monthly rent, which is almost due. As the meeting ends, a Robinson sister arrives and tells them her toilet does not work. Bubba teases Gloria and Jeannie about not being able to fix the toilet, and Gloria says that she and Jeannie will fix it themselves. Paul follows them to the basement, where they get plumbing tools before proceeding to the Robinsons’ apartment. The toilet bowl is almost full of water, and they use the tools to try to find a blockage. Gloria dons rubber gloves and feels for the blockage in the drain. When Jeannie says she will not put her hands in the water, Gloria says she must as a part of the Action Group. Jeannie quits the group and leaves. Tina Robinson arrives and says the problem is not the bowl but the tank. Paul fixes the tank and the toilet immediately flushes.

Chris’s father comes by the Stratford Arms and asks Paul and Bubba if they have heard anything about the robbery. Chris’s father says there is a $1000 reward for information that will help Chris. They tell him they are listening and are glad to help. Paul says, “Chris is part of the block… If we hear anything that will help him, we’ll let you know. We couldn’t take money for helping a friend” (52).