Jamie opened the door to the apartment complex’s multi-purpose room. Rows of timeworn fold-up tables spanned from one side to the other, surrounded by a variety of mismatched, antiquated chairs. Many were the collapsible, metal type; any cushions had gone flat long ago. Some looked like grade-school surplus, too small for adults, their plastic bucket seats a glaring orange. A raised platform in back served as a stage; the faded white paint failed to conceal the poor condition of the ancient wood. A dingy tarp covered a vertically mounted roulette wheel; three times a week, a collection of nearby senior citizens would use it to play bingo, sponsored by the local Parks And Recreation department. But today, this would be the site for Jamie’s project.

A few like-minded folks were already here. She smiled as she saw Ronald, donating his own cleaning supplies to wipe down the tables. Kathy struggled to hang some colorful garlands on the back wall, her dilapidated ladder too short to make the task safe. The fire-exit doors were propped open, hoping to catch a breeze that might flush out the putrid smell left behind by the once-overflowing trash cans; Garrett continued to empty them.

Carrying a rolled-up poster, Jamie ascended the stage and began to unfurl the paper. Floundering with its tendency to curl back into its original shape, she eventually managed to tape down the corners. Finally, its message became clear: “Sunny Day Suites” in large letters, “Tenants Association” in smaller letters below that. With minor reproach, she noticed the roulette wheel blocked the view of her poster from a large portion of the room. She sighed and looked around.

“Garrett? When you get a chance, could you give me a hand?”

Garrett tried to shake the odor from his hands, to no effect. “Sure. I needed a break from that stench anyway.”

“I can’t believe they let the garbage pile up for so long in here,” Jamie bemoaned. “Just another example of why the tenants need to make a stand.”

“I guess the bingo players don’t notice,” Garrett shrugged as he hopped up onto the stage. “Maybe their noses fail around the time their eyesight does.”

Jamie hesitantly gripped the roulette wheel. “I can keep it from falling over, if you can scoot it. Want to try that?”

Garrett found that it wouldn’t slide over the deck. “Little bits of the wood keep catching the bottom.” He turned to look into the room. “Ronald? Little help?”

Ronald was already bounding onto the platform. “Yeah, yeah. I saw this coming.” Without further trouble, Ronald and Garrett managed to lift the roulette wheel an inch from the floor, and waddling under the strain of its mass, labored to move it to the side. Jamie tried to help keep the load steady, but mostly got in the way. She smiled sadly as she thanked her helpers.

Kathy descended the ladder, preparing to move it to another spot along the wall. “Hopefully this goes as well as we expect it to.”

“I think this has been a long time coming,” Jamie agreed. “The landlord just doesn’t seem to care about us. We need to make our voices heard! And the only way we can do that is to band together!”

“They really need to cut us some slack,” Ronald groaned. “I asked if my son could stay with me for a while, after he got released. They expected him to fill out a formal application! Is that really necessary? Sure, he’s gotten into trouble in the past, but that’s all behind him now. Like I can’t keep an eye on him?”

“And all because Mrs. Johnson’s youngest got out of control,” Kathy commiserated. “Somehow, that makes us all bad parents.”

“You should have seen the property manager when I asked to reserve this room,” Jamie grimaced. “She demanded to know the reason. I can’t forget the look on her face when I mentioned wanting to form a tenant’s association! She made me agree to all these terms and conditions, just to get an hour’s time. It was like I was asking for the keys to the kingdom!”

“I’m sure she thinks this is her kingdom,” Garrett pointed out. “No matter how run-down it is. She just wants to hold on to every scrap of authority, and wave it in our faces. What a bully.”

“It’s definitely long past time for some real change around here,” Kathy opined.

“Well, today’s the day we turn it all around!” Jamie gushed. “I can feel it!” Her shoulders drooped. “Just as soon as someone actually shows up.”

They heard the door open; they turned to see one of the property manager’s assistants poke his head in. Jamie sighed. “Hello, Mr. MacNeill. Come to check on us? I hope this is all to your satisfaction.”

The lackey glanced around briefly. “Oh…yeah, sure. Listen, I wanted to let you know that this meeting has been moved. Sorry for the short notice.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“What?!” Jamie hollered. “But we’ve been prepping this room! We don’t have time to start over!”

Mr. MacNeill’s eyes swept over the room. “Not a bad job! Maybe we’ll hire you to do this all the time.” He chuckled to himself.

“Don’t patronize me!” Jamie insisted. “This is exactly the sort of behavior that makes us want to form a tenants’ association!”

He turned to her absentmindedly. “Right…that’s why it’s being moved. There’s a lot of interest in your meeting! It’s been moved to the concert hall. People are showing up in droves! That’s all. There’s just not enough space here.”

Jamie’s face beamed. “That’s great news! It may take us a few minutes to move our stuff.”

Mr. MacNeill gazed at the back wall. “Nah, leave up the garlands. They look nice in here.”

“But they were for our event!” Jamie protested.

“It’s just, I think that’s been taken care of, too,” Mr. MacNeill explained. “There’s probably not room for any more decorations.” He made his way back to the door. “Come by anytime. Oh, be sure to close the fire exits before you leave.” He walked out.

“Did you hear that?” Jamie thrilled. “We’ve hit the big time! Things are going to be very different around here!”

With a spring in their steps, Jamie and her cohorts marched to the other side of the apartment complex, through the common area between the buildings, across the divide between the older structures and the newer ones, towards the concert hall. That was the name given to the longer room, in one of the more recently constructed buildings, with the permanent rows of seats. It was used frequently to show movies; more recently, it had hosted a variety show put on by the local elementary school. It could easily seat four times the people of the multi-purpose room. Jamie’s heart soared with delight as she heard a roar erupt in the distance from the assembled crowd. They hurried their pace.

Jamie flung the door open to reveal a packed house, then stopped and frowned. She didn’t recognize most of the people here; they must have been the recently-arrived tenants, mostly young professionals that worked nearby, like the one presently speaking on stage. In the back of the room, she saw her friends and long-time neighbors, standing against the wall, looking unsettled. She rushed to join them as the speaker continued.

“How much longer are we supposed to put up with the bad apples? With criminals and flakes? They break into our cars, they spray graffiti, they harass us as we come and go! We’re just trying to live here in peace and comfort! Somehow, they have all the rights, and we have none!” The crowd roared again. Jamie felt a shiver run down her spine.

The speaker pounded the lectern. “We don’t have to live like this! We outnumber them! The first step is to pass new rules that all tenants must abide by! It’s obvious who’s trying to behave, and who isn’t. And if they can’t live like civilized human beings, they get the boot!” He leaned in, gazing levelly at the audience. “People that cannot regulate themselves deserve to get regulated by others!” Another loud roar of approval.

Jamie and her friends finally made it to the back of the room. She found Eleanor there, wide-eyed and fearful. “Who are all these people?” Jamie implored. “When did we get crowded out?”

“It happened slowly, over the last few months,” Eleanor mused. “The place changed after all those new businesses opened up nearby. I’ve heard of gentrification before, but I never thought it would happen here.”

Jamie gestured angrily with her hands. “Are you serious? So we’re going to find ourselves priced out of the apartments where we’ve lived for years, to be replaced by…them?” She motioned across the room, referring to the well-dressed throng.

The speaker was joined by the head property manager, a beatific smile on her face. Jamie’s mouth gaped as the speaker beheld the audience. “In consultation with Mrs. Rhatigen, I’ve drawn up a code of behavior that all tenants will have to abide by, once we vote to approve it. You all had a chance to read it if you’re on the tenants association e-mail list.” Eleanor pushed a paper copy into Jamie’s hands. “These were piled on the table as we entered.”

“What e-mail list?” Jamie asked. “That’s nothing we did!” Eleanor just shrugged.

Jamie skimmed over the proposed rules. All misdemeanors, and most property crimes, subjected the tenant to immediate eviction. Certain nuisances, like hoarding, unruly pets, or littering, were punishable by steep fines. And an across-the-board rent increase, to take effect immediately, would pay for increased security patrols, electronic surveillance, and “necessary” renovations. Further pages went into more detail, with ample usage of words like “reasonable”, “professional”, and “civilized”. The fear that had started in Jamie’s spine spread to the rest of her body.

Mrs. Rhatigen now stood at the lectern. “It’s time to vote! Make your choice now!” Jamie saw several people noodle with their cell phones. Eleanor pointed out the printed QR code on the last page of the packet of papers. Glumly, Jamie realized her phone was too old to allow her to vote. Even Eleanor’s senior-oriented flip phone could scan the matrix barcode.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Rhatigen gestured to the totals on the projection screen behind her. “The results are in! 605 in favor, 74 opposed! The motion is carried!” A cheer rose from the crowd as Mrs. Rhatigen beamed. “Today begins a new era for Sunny Day Suites! And if you’re one of the few that don’t like it…your time is short!”

Jamie skulked along the side of the room, heading to the exit. The gloom in her eyes went unnoticed by the people in her way. She could still hear the cheering from a fair distance down the corridor.