Cade’s Rebellion

Cade’s Rebellion: Edward Sheehy

Would you fight for the rights of others in order to protect people from losing their homes and their neighborhood? Would you risk you life and create a protest so widespread that you would shake the foundation of a powerful corporation knowing that there might be severe repercussions.

Cade has returned from the war in Iraq and barely makes a decent living driving a cab. He loves where he lives and the Glebe Valley Apartments is where he resides. The setting is Arlington, Virginia and the residents are mainly from Central America. An urban development company wants the area and the land to build some high rises, more expensive businesses and gentrifies the area. Cade goes the a town meeting and hears what the development company has in mind and realizes that something needs to be done. Will he rise to the occasion and why won’t anyone else take charge?

His close friend Luis Guzman would be the right person to lead the protest but something is holding him back and secret from his past might destroy him if it comes out. Meeting Rita a legal aid lawyer from Miami you wonder why she would offer to help him and what her true goals are.

As you get the know the rationale behind the Urban Development company you learn that they will stoop to anything to get the land and disposes the people in Cade’s community. Two construction workers went as far as denting the Green Flash his cab and attacking him.

Flashing back during dreams about his tour in Iraq, you feel the tension within Cade’s mind, the affects it had on him both mentally and physically and the reasons why he was on opioids and hopefully would ease off of them.

The anger rages in him and Cade decides that he will head the protest enlist the help of the storeowners and remind the people that the land that they live on and pay to live on belongs to them and not the Urban Development company and they need to fight for what is there’s. The author also talks about Luis and his relationship with his estranged son, E that grew up as a model son and student plus his younger son Javier thinking that the older son might have been involved in something dangerous added he reminds us that Luis and Father Romero were haunted by the civil war in the early 80’s and 90’s in San Salvador.

When Cade takes on the fight for justice his first step is creating flyers that would catch the attention of the people living in Chapelita and hopefully take down Urban Renaissance Partners before they begin to lay any foundations for the luxury urban community village they predict at the future in Glebe Valley. This type of housing would not be within the budgets of those living there and most if not all would be forced to move.

Urban Renaissance Partners has some powerful owners starting with Robert Oliver the founder, Mick Finn and several others who have their hands in many different pots. However, the main focus of the fight that Cade is about to unleash is that of ownership, respect for one’s property and homes whereas even URP feels that they want to have ownership of what they feel is going to profit Glebe or mainly line their pockets. It’s a difficult situation when we read about the immigrants in the news being displaced and separated from their children and now the people in this community are facing not being deported but being displaced or forced to move. Although they are offered some compensation we learn more about the inner truths when we hear Finn talking with the government officials, police officials and others learning that not everything or everyone is what they seem.

Hearing Luis Guzman confess to Father Gus about what happened in the army and what unspeakable act he was forced to commit and then learning more about his older son, you begin to understand why he hesitated at first to get into the fight with Cade but in the long run some will rally round but some feel they are fighting a losing battle. Money is powerful and powerful adversaries are what Cade and his group will face. But, will they win? Cade asks Luis to house the meeting at the Chapelita Community Center where he is the manager, so why does he hesitate?

Rita Castro is a lawyer who helps Cade stir up the public and wants to create enough hype to make sure that the protest succeeds. But, the best plans do not always work and although he has the best intentions at heart, and organizes the Chapelita Coalition for Justice, when the protest starts, remembering the machete incident, the Watchdogs killing an innocent man and then taking part in this demonstration where guns were drawn someone close to Luis and Cade gives it up for the cause. Brother of Blood would stop at nothing to stop Cade as they are working for Mick Finn the conglomerate’s senior VP of development. But, another group, the Kaplan’s get involved and then they bring in a group called FRED that deals with eminent domain and things spiral out of control in many directions.

As you hear all of the sides speaking you wonder exactly what is on trial and what is being violated. Are the Kaplan’s property rights in question? Does it have anything to do with the accumulation of capital? In the end its about the Glebe Valley complex and if it would survive. Just what is Rita Castro’s real goal and what about URP? Robert Oliver is the creator and he buys land that he feels is perfect for development and pays off local officials, and forces people out! Then he does it on and again and as Rita herself states: “His latest marketing scam is emotional communion.” What happens if he wins? When does it stop> Can they convince the Kaplan’s to turn over or transfer Glebe Valley to the tenants and allow them to decide what happens next.” Can they create a tenants’ co-op? But, as you hear the many voices of Rita and Wimberley you wonder whose side anyone is really and who has hidden agendas that are in plain sight but not really revealed. Wimberley is the lawyer of the Federalists for the Repeal of Eminent Domain to oppose the condemnation of the Glebe Valley apartments and Cade seems to be the albatross in their way and somehow he has to be stopped?
Rita comes up with a plan and Cade falls for her ideas and meets with Oliver but the end result is not what readers will expect. A sting so unexpected and a double cross that is costly and the end result is something you won’t see coming and neither will anyone else. A father and son will have to face off as the truth behind the killings and who’s committed the murders comes to light. One man fought with all of his ethics and might to save the one thing that mattered to him his right to live where he wanted and not be forced out.
Officer Corrine Rodriguez investigated the murders from the start and the ending takes you where the smoke is smoldering, where the demolition crew is about to begin work and the final fate of Chapelita Community well, you need to learn that for yourself to decide justice for the people, greed and more capital for URP or unsolved solution and a group that lets you know it’s not over yet.

What is the final count for those who sacrificed it all? What happened to Cade? Some rebellions are fought hard and some had little chance from the start. How far would you go to fight for your own survival and that of others? Sometimes all it takes is one man who started and would not stop until the final showdown is played. Meet Cade and find out the end result of what would become known in years to follow as CADE’S REBELLION! Real life situations ripped right out the headlines. Characters that are genuine and true to life. “Inspired by the true events, Cade’s Rebellion is not only the story of one community’s efforts to reclaim their homes, but one man’s efforts to reclaim his soul.” Author Edward Sheehy honors in this novel those who are dedicated to helping others at all costs.

Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ network/MJ magazine