Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

Back at the Hinkston’s place, off of Wright Street, Sherrena has the burned-out duplex in the back demolished and uses the insurance money to buy two more duplexes. Life in the Hinkston home is grim. Sherrena won’t do any maintenance because they’re behind on rent, and Doreen won’t pay for any work to be done because that’s too much like helping Sherrena. The kitchen sink is perpetually stopped up and full of water, as is the toilet. Trash and dirty dishes and bugs multiply. Everyone becomes lethargic and depressed: “The house failed the tenants, and the tenants failed the house” (256). Desmond writes: “Substandard housing was a blow to your psychological health: not only because things like dampness, mold, and overcrowding could bring depression but also because of what living in awful conditions told you about yourself” (257). These living conditions tell people they are irrelevant: “People who were repulsed by their home, who felt they had no control over it, and yet had to give most of their income to it—they thought less of themselves” (257).

Natasha finally gives birth to a baby boy who weighs over eight pounds and has the Hinkston nose. Malik, the father, is so obviously proud of his new son that Natasha decides to name the newborn Malik Jr.