I attended exactly two.
The first because residents asked me to explain what had happened.
The second because I wanted to see the vote ending all unauthorized key policies permanently.
At the first meeting, I stood in front of nearly one hundred people.
I hated every second.
Not because I was afraid of speaking.
Because I never wanted to become the symbol of anything.
I was a man who refused to hand over a key.
That was all.
I looked around.
“Most of you know what happened at my house.”
Silence.
“I’m not here to tell you how brave I was.”
Mrs. Bell sat in the front row.
She nodded.
I continued.
“I’m also not here to tell you everyone should have done what I did.”
People shifted.
“The issue isn’t who gave them a key.”
I looked at Rachel.
“The issue is that no homeowner should have been pressured to surrender one through false authority.”
