Minecraft:Minecraft: Battle of the Block/6CHP

Chapter 38

It was Thursday, the day of the City Council meeting. Everyone from Honeysuckle Street takes the E1 train to City Hall, going up four flights of stairs, with the exception of the old Mr. Melvin and Ms. Berta, who take an elevator. Upon reaching the fourth floor, everyone follows the signs to room 400, passing by a metal detector, and then taking their seats in the meeting room. The room fills quickly, and when the meeting starts, Council President Cassie Hughes orders all phones to be set to silent or vibrate, and Imam Malik gives the opening invocation, stating that justice is people coming together to do what feels right, and that manners are important, reminding everyone to be gentle but firm. The order of business then begins, with the City Council discussing resolutions for the city, followed by open floor discussion. The lead representative of Beautiful Urban Developments, Celeste, goes up to the podium first, calling for a resolution to suspend "nusiance laws" to allow them to not add more parking and to allow more days for "emergency construction". Some neighbors from Honeysuckle Street start to boo at her remarks, but Cassie Hughes bangs the gavel to restore order. Celeste continues, stating that they are improving a "bad neighborhood" and that the apartment complex will make the street shine. After a few more resolutions are introduced, Cassie Hughes opens the room to public discussion. The first issues are relatively straightforward: restricted business hours, a request for a speed bump near a nursing home, illegal trash dumping, potholes, and support for after-school programs. After those, Ms. Bashirah goes to the podium, introducing herself, and then says that the people of Honeysuckle Street can’t hear themselves think because of the developers building in ways that don’t care for the people that have already lived there. The neighbors of Honeysuckle Street hold up their protest signs, and then Ms. Bashirah leaves the room with Mir as Nzinga feels like the next part will be too much for him.

Chapter 39

After some unrelated public comments are made, Ms. Berta is the next to speak, mentioning that she can’t get her dosage of vitamin D from sunbathing because she had to stay inside because of the construction, adding that she is a widow who lives by herself, and that nobody comes to visit with all the noise going on, requesting a moment of silence for the moments of silence that Honeysuckle Dreams had lost. After the silence, Ms. Maria speaks next, requesting a moment of silence for the lost childhood of her twins, DeAngelo and Diana. The young Mr. Melvin goes next, known as Melvin Little, requesting a moment of silence for rest because he cannot sleep during the day because of construction. During the silence, the amplified sound of a jackhammer goes off, and Kayla says it was her phone alarm and excuses herself. After a few unrelated issues, the old Mr. Melvin is next to speak, requesting a moment of silence for the many Black people who fought and died for their right to vote, noting that this year is the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, adding that he deserves a vote about his home when people threaten to take it away from him. During the silence, the sound of a hundred chainsaws goes off, and Jalil says it was from a video game as other people pull him from his seat, but he escapes and heads to the door before an officer stops him. Imam Malik then says something to the officer, and the officer lets Jalil go. As Jalil leaves, Cassie Hughes reminds everyone that their phones must be silenced, directing everyone to do so, and warning that they may need to adjourn the meeting if it cannot continue peacefully.

After two unrelated issues, more moments of silence go by unabated, but soon, sounds of clanging metal are heard from where DeAngelo and Diana are sitting. Ms. Maria excuses it for the kids supposed favorite show, Demolition Madness, and excuse themselves from the room. A man in a striped suit points out Ms. Maria for talking out of turn, and as Nzinga and Jannah head to the podium, Cassie Hughes bangs her gavel and orders the other council members to return to the bench, and then says that the meeting is adjourned due to the noise. Nzinga says that they have a whole presentation ready, but Cassie Hughes says that they cannot maintain business. Nzinga then says that they are done with the moments of silence and construction noise, and Cassie Hughes believes it to be a conspiracy and again says that they are done for the day. Councilwoman DeSouza interrupts, noting that they promised to stop, but Cassie Hughes says that they could’ve spoken normally to be heard. Nzinga then goes on a rant about how the noises were the only way to get them to listen, noting that they were recorded from Honeysuckle Street, and that they cannot get moments of silence when we ask for them, but instead, constant noise. Councilwoman DeSouza concurs, saying that they should be able to move forward with their presentation, but Celeste objects it as a mockery of council proceedings. Cassie Hughes bangs her gavel to restore order, staring intently at Nzinga and Jannah as she thinks on what to say next.

Chapter 40

Cassie Hughes says that council meetings are a place of order, noting that it is important for everyone to be heard, but that they cannot hear them if they cannot respect the rules. She has Nzinga and Jannah speak on the condition that if there is any more moment of silence or noise, they will be doing community service until they start paying taxes and would be banned for life from City Hall. Nzinga and Jannah nod their heads vigorously, and then the Minecraft model pops up on the screen behind the council members. As the room falls silent from overlooking the model, Nzinga stammers as she attempts to speak. Jannah attempts to speak for her, but Mir jumps in and starts talking about the model, noting the cherry trees acting as natural sound barriers, rock gardens for absorbing sound, and using the area as a public place for social interaction. Jannah then speaks, noting the houses already on the block being updated with colorful paint and solar panels, and then shows an example of a digger being used next to a wool wall that blocks the noise. The residents of Honeysuckle Street start talking about other ideas for Honeysuckle Street, and Nzinga says that she’ll plan to jot them down before moving on to a list of demands: no cutting down of trees unless approval is sought from current residents, shortened days of construction work in addition to schedules of said work, no work on weekends, limits on how often development companies can offer people to buy out their homes, a pause on development to consider the impacts on the community, that housing costs stay the same for current residents, and full enjoyment of the block by rescheduling the block party that was cancelled. Nzinga then has Jannah speak next, as she is still a resident of Honeysuckle Street.

Chapter 41

Jannah states that Honeysuckle Street doesn’t feel like her home anymore, noting the cobblestone wall that used to border the house of young Mr. Melvin had weakened and collapsed. She adds that her summer should be about enjoying being home on her block, but knows that the developers act like as if nothing was on the block before. Jannah adds that she has lived on Honeysuckle Street ever since she was born, and that the developers don’t get to decide when someone can’t have a home just because they have the money, adding that they can’t decide when kids can play or when older people can rest. Everyone in the room jumps to their feet in applause, and after Jannah is seated, the City Council brings the resolutions of Beautiful Urban Developments to a vote. More council members put their hands up in nays than yays, voting against it, and then Councilwoman DeSouza introduces a resolution to form a task force to investigate on how they can implement the Honeysuckle Dreams platform. Nearly every council member puts their hands up in support of the platform as the developers watch in horror.

Chapter 42

Two days later, it was the day of Phantasy Philly. Ms. Bashirah, Mir, Jannah, and Nzinga and her parents walk through the doors of the Philadelphia Convention Center, eventually finding Hall C. People are walking around wearing Minecraft costumes, and kids run around with plush swords decorated with patterns. The best part for Nzinga was the tables set up with laptops and monitors of Minecraft cityscapes, including a stage set up to the right of the area that projects the cityscapes onto a giant projection screen. One of the cityscapes is set up like a waterpark, which Nzinga jokes about with Mir and Jannah. Another cityscape has a sloped park with soccer nets, sandpits, and trees circling the space. Jannah and Nzinga then set up at a table conveniently labeled "4400 Honeysuckle Street", turning on Jannah’s laptop. At first, Nzinga feels worried that their build would not be as impressive as the other builds, but a classmate from Great Valley Middle School, named Cara, comments on the rock garden and mentions to Jannah about Nzinga’s community meeting speech at school as a plan for making the school day cooler.

After Cara and Nzinga talk for a while about the redstone work for the build, Cara mentions that she worked with her cousin on a build of a shelter for stray cats, and asks for Nzinga’s number. Jannah then jumps in, and the three all exchange numbers before Cara leaves. As more kids check out the Honeysuckle table, Jannah decides to stay to answer questions about the build while Nzinga and Mir walk around to check out other builds. The two notice some members of City Council milling around and looking over the builds, and then look to the projection screen when some kids gasp over the Honeysuckle build. Councilwoman DeSouza greets Nzinga and Mir, congratulating them on the build, and asks them if their cousin is here as well. Nzinga says that Jannah is at the table, but the councilwoman then gets a notification on her phone and says that she has to go. Just then, the convention officially starts, with fast-paced techno music playing as a video plays of Philadelphia neighborhoods morphing into Minecraft versions of them. After the video, Councilwoman DeSouza welcomes everyone, calling on them to tell the City Council about their fantasies for their blocks. As she leaves the stage, some kids hesitate on who will go next, and Nzinga considers going up first, but as some kids from another table take the stage, she decides to sit back and listen.

Epilogue

It is now the end of September as the Ramadan family returns to Honeysuckle Street for the block party that was rescheduled. Nzinga, Mir, and their parents step out of the vehicle as music from the 90s is blasted and the smell of meat being grilled goes under their noses. Nzinga is carrying a pan of chopped watermelon, Mir is carrying fruit salad, and their parents are carrying trays of potato salad. Nzinga and Mir notice the rock garden being built and the sound barriers set up as they walk to Ms. Bashirah’s table, and Nzinga now has a group chat with Jannah, Cara, and Cara’s cousins - Tracee and Netta - dubbed the "Cuzzo Chat", as the latter three plan to stop by to check out the block party. Nzinga notes that she now has a group of people who play Minecraft at her school, consisting of herself, Mir, Cara, and a few others, under the name of "Valley MCs". Some neighbors of Honeysuckle Street congratulate them on Phantasy Philly before the family finally arrives at Ms. Bashirah’s table, where she is serving macaroni salad, and Aunt Maryam is also serving watermelon. Ms. Bashirah has already set up a plate for Mir with a burger, a hot dog, some barbecue chicken, some baked beans, her macaroni salad, and someone else’s fruit salad. Instead of Mir going inside to watch the street from the window, he instead sits in a chair next to the rock garden. Jannah and Nzinga then go from table to table to get some food. Old Mr. Melvin has some spicy barbecue chicken, and he asks if Nzinga and Jannah can ask City Council to get some signs up so dogs don’t poop in the garden, as well as a list of vegetables for the garden. Both Nzinga and Jannah say they will talk to them about it, and Ms. Berta, Ms. Maria, and the young Mr. Melvin also have ideas as well. Nzinga and Jannah jot them down in their Notes application as they finish getting food and sit down by Mir. They take in the sights of the neighborhood until Jannah gently nudges Nzinga, noticing that Mir is recording with his tablet, and she and Nzinga exchange smiles.

Notes from EnderMirr

Mir states that the episode is different, as he says he is coming to them live from a block party, as they just defeated a construction raid. He goes on to state that autism sometimes controls him and sometimes it doesn’t, comparing it to a Wither he needs to face with enchanted armor and weapons. Mir then compares Jannah and Nzinga to librarian villagers who help him get enchantments, noting that when the enchantments don’t work, it’s not his fault. Mir then compares autism to a golden apple, acknowledging that he stepped in to help Nzinga and Jannah at City Hall, comparing them to zombie villagers who became trapped and couldn’t speak. Mir then says that autism is just himself, as he doesn’t want to control being himself all the time as he likes how he is, that he is brave, and that he is a good friend to Nzinga and Jannah, adding that he just wants to be himself.