Evicted Part 2: Chapters 13–16 Summary & Analysis

Chapter 13: E-24

Chapter 13 opens with Larraine in the College Mobile Home Park. Beaker, Larraine’s brother, is initially upset that she moved into his trailer without asking, but she puts effort into cleaning it and, after much arguing, she is allowed to stay. Lenny and Office Susie, Tobin’s on-site staff, are fired by the new management company. This upsets many of the tenants, who wonder whether all of the hand-shake deals with Tobin will stand. When the trailer in lot E-24 becomes vacant after an eviction, Tobin hires an elderly woman who lives in the park to clean it. The trailer is disgusting, full of rotting food, food-encrusted dishes, urine, and black grime. For her five hours of work, Tobin pays the woman $50. It isn’t long before another couple rents it. The chapter closes with Tobin’s finances. After taxes, utilities, and operating costs, the trailer park generates $447,000 each year for Tobin.

Chapter 14: High Tolerance

Chapter 14 returns to Scott, the former nurse, who did not fight his eviction. Instead, his friend Pito from Narcotics Anonymous found him a place to rent. Scott shares a small apartment with Pito’s nephew who was recently released from prison. Scott still buys drugs from the trailer park and continues to clean out foreclosed houses. Desmond states that communities often work together and help one another, especially poor communities. The poorest communities, however, do not. In places like the trailer park, most of the residents believe that they themselves don’t belong there and are just passing through, whereas the other tenants are there due to personal failure.

When Scott is let go from his cleaning job, he calls his mother in Iowa. She tells him that he is always welcome to come home, but he doesn’t want to face his family’s judgment and fears that he won’t be able to get heroin there. He decides to check into rehab. He arrives at the rehab office an hour before they open, but 15 people are already ahead of him in line. He is told they are only taking 5 people that day. Desmond observes that Scott might have tried again the next day, but he went on a three-day bender instead.

Chapter 15: A Nuisance

Chapter 15 returns to Arleen and Crystal. During a violent altercation between Arleen’s upstairs neighbor Trisha and her boyfriend Chris, Crystal calls 911 several times. The police arrive and arrest Chris. Sherrena is then contacted by the police and told that the property has received too many 911 nuisance calls (which include domestic violence). Future nuisance calls will incur a fine for Sherrena if she does not take action and the building will be labeled a nuisance building. Desmond states that of properties in white neighborhoods eligible for nuisance citations, only one in 41 receive them. In contrast, one in 16 eligible properties in Black neighborhoods receive citations. In 83 percent of cases, landlords threaten eviction or evict the tenants after they call 911 to report domestic violence. Sherrena evicts Arleen and Crystal in response. Crystal agrees to move to a different property that Sherrena owns. Arleen pursues two dozen leads but cannot secure a new place to live. During an argument, Arleen and Crystal realize that they were both sexually abused by their stepfathers. Arleen and Crystal break down crying and they hug each other. Crystal assures Arleen that everything will be okay.

Chapter 16: Ashes on Snow

Chapter 16 opens with Sherrena and Quentin treating themselves to an evening at the local casino. Because of February tax credits, many of the tenants’ checks were larger than usual to make up for back rent. While at the casino, Quentin gets a call: the property at Eighteenth and Wright is on fire. While driving to the burning building, Sherrena complains, “Shame on them… I hope my shit ain’t burnt to a crisp.” The fire, in Kamala’s upstairs apartment, took the life of her eight-month-old baby. Everyone else is gathered in Doreen’s unit. The fire inspector tells Sherrena that a lamp was tipped over and no one heard any smoke alarms. When Sherrena asks whether she is obligated to refund Kamala’s rent, the inspector tells Sherrena that she does not have to. Sherrena is pleased that she will likely get a large sum of money from insurance and the Red Cross will find Lamar, the amputee, somewhere to live, saving her the effort of evicting him.

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