Outside Vonita Tyler’s home, an air conditioner sits next to the trash. She said last week that a letter told her to remove it. Asthmatic and diabetic, she fears for her future.

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“I hope and pray to god that somebody out there can understand that we're not animals,” Tyler said. “We have rights and we should have the opportunity of being able to live comfortable in your home.”

The problem is with the single hung windows, which when used with an air conditioner provide no way out on upper floors. The ban on those will apply to an estimated 600 residents.

Residents will have the option to buy special units that sit below the window. The city would pay for the installation – but only for disabled residents.

“We're all sensitive to people with respiratory challenges but for me, as the executive director, life safety is one of my primary responsibilities,” said Vincent Leggett, executive director of the Annapolis Housing Authority.

But activist Henry Eades asked: What about everybody else?

“Air conditioning is not a luxury anymore. It's a necessity,” Eades said.