I came to the U.S. with dreams of building a better life for myself and my young daughter, Isabel.
But life in the city’s slum apartments is harsh, and we found ourselves trapped in a crumbling building that’s barely livable.
The apartment complex, owned by the arrogant and uncaring Dave Reynolds, is falling apart—leaking ceilings, broken heating, mold creeping up the walls.
Complaints from us tenants go ignored, and every few months, Dave raises the rent while letting the building deteriorate.
This is my story.
Despite working two jobs as a cleaner and receiving government assistance, I could barely manage to keep up with the rent, often having to choose between food or paying bills.
Dave, who inherited the building from his wealthy father, sees it as nothing more than a cash cow and dismisses the tenants as “ungrateful” complainers. He regularly threatens evictions to intimidate us into paying without pushing back on the horrendous living conditions.
I tried to raise my concerns with Dave personally, but he always brushed me off, laughing at my broken English and telling me to “just be grateful” for having a roof over my head.
Humiliated and defeated, I return home to my daughter, promising myself that I will find a way to fix this situation—but for now, we are trapped.
Trapped in Crumbling Misery
The building continued to deteriorate, and the situation became dire.
The plumbing in the complex failed, leading to sewage backing up into the apartments. Water stains spread across the ceilings, and one night, a piece of the ceiling in our apartment fell, nearly hitting Isabel while she slept.
Horrified, I contacted Dave again, demanding he do something to fix the safety hazards in the building.
Dave told me I was “lucky I can even afford the place” and that “immigrants are always expecting handouts.”
Dave dismissed me by reminding me that I could always leave if I didn’t like it, knowing full well that none of the tenants in his building could afford to move.
Desperate and angry, I began talking to my neighbors, many of whom have faced similar issues.
The tenants, a mix of low-income workers, immigrants, and single parents, all expressed their frustration but felt powerless to fight back. Dave uses threats of eviction to silence complaints and even charges for “maintenance” that never gets done.
As tensions rose, I started documenting the state of the building, taking pictures of the mold, leaks, and the debris from the collapsed ceiling.
I didn’t know what my plan was yet, but I felt something needed to be done, even if it meant standing up against the ruthless landlord.