A Tree Grows in Shrewsbury

Pat Henry participated in a sit-in to save a crab apple tree. — Photo by Jon Chase

Sometimes it’s the little things that apartment dwellers will fight for. In Shrewsbury, Mass., residents tussled with management over a crab apple tree.

The Shrewsbury Housing Authority, which manages Francis Gardens, a 100-unit complex for older adults, ordered the tree cut down in September so a dumpster could be relocated.

Lee Perrone, 74, and Pat Henry, 65, didn’t want the dumpster beneath their windows. Besides, Perrone says, when the tree blooms, “it’s the most beautiful thing—pink.” So the pair roped chairs around the tree and staged a sit-in. Both women received eviction notices. After a local lawyer volunteered to represent them, the housing authority backed down. The tree was saved. Officials did not return calls for comment.

Kenneth J. Cooper is a writer in the Boston area.