Jeffrey Brown: How we cut youth violence in Boston by 79 percent | TED

翻译人员: Zhiting Chen 校对人员: Sunny Wang

I've learned some of my most important life lessons

我所习得的一些重要的人生哲学

from drug dealers

来自于毒贩

and gang members

黑社会成员

and prostitutes,

和妓女

and I've had some of my most profound theological conversations

同样我所进行的一些最深刻的神学对话

not in the hallowed halls of a seminary

也并没发生在神圣的神学院殿堂中

but on a street corner

而是在街边的角落

on a Friday night, at 1 a.m.

一个星期五夜晚，凌晨一点

That's a little unusual, since I am a Baptist minister, seminary-trained,

这有些不同寻常 因为我是一个曾在神学院受训过的

and pastored a church for over 20 years,

并且在教堂工作超过20年的浸信会牧师

but it's true.

但那些确实发生了

It came as a part of my participation

这是我所参与的

in a public safety crime reduction strategy

致力于降低犯罪率的公共安全活动的一部分

that saw a 79 percent reduction in violent crime

此活动曾见证了一个大型城市的暴力犯罪率

over an eight-year period in a major city.

在八年间降低 79%

But I didn't start out wanting to be

但是我一开始并不愿意

a part of somebody's crime reduction strategy.

参与这项降低犯罪的活动

I was 25, had my first church.

我当时25岁，第一次主持教堂

If you would have asked me what my ambition was,

如果你想要问我当时的目标

I would have told you I wanted to be a megachurch pastor.

我会告诉你 我想成为一名大型教会的牧师

I wanted a 15-, 20,000-member church.

想使我的教会拥有1.5万至2万名信徒

I wanted my own television ministry.

想拥有自己的电视频道

I wanted my own clothing line.

想建立自己的服装产业

(Laughter)

(笑声）

I wanted to be your long distance carrier.

想成为你们的长途电话运营商

You know, the whole nine yards.

你懂的，所有的我都想插一脚

(Laughter)

（笑声）

After about a year of pastoring,

我做牧师大概一年时间

my membership went up about 20 members.

教会的信徒只增加了20个

So megachurchdom was way down the road.

所以组建大型教会还有很长的路要走

But seriously, if you'd have said, "What is your ambition?"

但是老实说 如果你要问我的梦想是什么

I would have said just to be a good pastor,

我会回答，我只想成为一个优秀的牧师

to be able to be with people through all the passages of life,

能够与人们一起经历人生的每个篇章

to preach messages that would have an everyday meaning for folks,

宣扬教义使人们每一天都过得有意义

and in the African-American tradition,

并且遵循非洲裔美国人的传统

to be able to represent the community that I serve.

使自己有能力代表所服务的群体

But there was something else that was happening in my city

然而一些其他的事情正发生在我的城市

and in the entire metro area,

在整个都市区域里

and in most metro areas in the United States,

在美国大部分的都市内

and that was the homicide rate started to rise precipitously.

这就是凶杀率开始急剧上升

And there were young people who were killing each other

年轻人因为一些琐事

for reasons that I thought were very trivial,

互相厮杀

like bumping into someone in a high school hallway,

比如在高中的走廊上无意间碰撞了某人

and then after school, shooting the person.

在放学后，就开枪射杀了这个人

Someone with the wrong color shirt on,

某人穿错了衬衫的颜色

on the wrong street corner at the wrong time.

又在错误的时间出现在了错误的地方

And something needed to be done about that.

我们需要着手解决这些事情了

It got to the point where it started to change the character of the city.

这些已经开始改变城市的性质

You could go to any housing project,

你可以去任何一个住宅区

for example, like the one that was down the street from my church,

比如说，我的教堂街边的那个

and you would walk in, and it would be like a ghost town,

如果你走进那里 那里简直像个鬼城

because the parents wouldn't allow their kids to come out and play,

因为家长们不允许他们的孩子出来玩

even in the summertime, because of the violence.

甚至在暑季 因为担心暴力事件

You would listen in the neighborhoods on any given night,

任何一个夜晚 你都可能听见附近传来一种声音

and to the untrained ear, it sounded like fireworks,

不熟悉的人会觉得是烟花

but it was gunfire.

但那却是枪声

You'd hear it almost every night, when you were cooking dinner,

几乎每晚都能听到 在你做晚饭的时候

telling your child a bedtime story, or just watching TV.

在你给孩子讲睡前故事的时候 或在看电视的时候

And you can go to any emergency room at any hospital,

还有，你可以去任何医院的急诊室

and you would see lying on gurneys

可以看到在担架上躺着的

young black and Latino men shot and dying.

中弹垂死的年轻黑人或者拉美人

And I was doing funerals,

我主持葬礼

but not of the venerated matriarchs and patriarchs who'd lived a long life

却不同于为年迈的长者所主持的葬礼

and there's a lot to say.

他们的一生有许多话可以说

I was doing funerals of 18-year-olds,

但是我所主持的葬礼死者只有18岁

17-year-olds,

17岁

and 16-year-olds,

甚至是16岁

and I was standing in a church or at a funeral home

不管在教堂 还是在殡仪馆

struggling to say something

我总是绞尽脑汁地想说点

that would make some meaningful impact.

有意义的悼词

And so while my colleagues were building these cathedrals great and tall

所以当我的同事在扩建教堂的时候

and buying property outside of the city

当他们在城外购买房产

and moving their congregations out

并将信徒搬迁出城市

so that they could create or recreate their cities of God,

想要建造或重建“上帝之城”的时候

the social structures in the inner cities

整个城市中心的社会结构

were sagging under the weight of all of this violence.

正在因为承受暴力的重压而坍塌

And so I stayed, because somebody needed to do something,

所以我留下来 因为有人需要为此做些什么

and so I had looked at what I had and moved on that.

我开始审视我能够做什么 并从这些方面入手

I started to preach decrying the violence in the community.

我开始在社区传道时谴责暴力事件

And I started to look at the programming in my church,

我开始关注自己教堂中的活动

and I started to build programs that would catch the at-risk youth,

并开始设置一些能够拯救

those who were on the fence to the violence.

处于暴力犯罪边缘的青年人的项目

I even tried to be innovative in my preaching.

我甚至尝试有创意的传教方式

You all have heard of rap music, right?

你们大家都有听过说唱音乐吧

Rap music?

说唱音乐

I even tried to rap sermon one time.

我有次甚至尝试用去说唱的方式布道

It didn't work, but at least I tried it.

它没有奏效，但是我至少尝试过

I'll never forget the young person who came to me after that sermon.

我无法忘怀那个布道完后走向我的年轻人

He waited until everybody was gone,

他等到所有人都离开

and he said, "Rev, rap sermon, huh?" And I was like, "Yeah, what do you think?"

对我说：Rev，说唱布道，哈？ 我回答到: 是，你觉得怎么样？

And he said, "Don't do that again, Rev."

他说：再也别这样做了，Rev

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But I preached and I built these programs,

但是我确实宣扬了想法，并且制定了这些计划

and I thought maybe if my colleagues did the same

我想，如果我的同事和我做一样的事情

that it would make a difference.

我们会带来一些改变

But the violence just careened out of control,

暴力事件已经开始失控

and people who were not involved in the violence were getting shot and killed:

没有参与暴力事件的人们也被枪击中而亡

somebody going to buy a pack of cigarettes at a convenience store,

他们可能是去便利店买烟的人

or someone who was sitting at a bus stop just waiting for a bus,

在公交车站等车的人

or kids who were playing in the park,

或者只是在公园玩耍的孩子

oblivious to the violence on the other side of the park,

然而发生在公园另一边的暴力事件

but it coming and visiting them.

正在悄无声息的降临到他们身上

Things were out of control,

暴力事情正在失控

and I didn't know what to do,

我不知道能够做些什么

and then something happened that changed everything for me.

但接下来的一些事情彻底地改变了我

It was a kid by the name of Jesse McKie,

一个叫Jesse McKie的孩子

walking home with his friend Rigoberto Carrion

和他的朋友Rigoberto Carrion结伴回家

to the housing project down the street from my church.

去到我的教堂街边的小区

They met up with a group of youth who were from a gang in Dorchester,

他们遇见了一个来自多切斯特的青年黑帮团伙

and they were killed.

而后他们被杀害了

But as Jesse was running from the scene mortally wounded,

从现场看Jesse当时的伤是致命的，但是他在奔跑

he was running in the direction of my church,

朝向我教堂的方向奔跑

and he died some 100, 150 yards away.

然而只跑了100到150米他就死了

If he would have gotten to the church, it wouldn't have made a difference,

然而就算他当时能够到教堂 还是于事无补

因为那时教堂的灯是熄灭的，没有人在

because the lights were out; nobody was home.

And I took that as a sign.

我将这件事情看作一个信号

When they caught some of the youth that had done this deed,

当一些凶手被逮捕了之后

to my surprise, they were around my age,

令我惊讶的是 这些凶手竟与我的年纪相仿

but the gulf that was between us was vast.

但我们的人生却是如此的不同

It was like we were in two completely different worlds.

就像我们处于两个完全不同的世界

And so as I contemplated all of this

当我仔细思考整个事件

想着刚刚发生的一切

and looked at what was happening,

I suddenly realized that there was a paradox that was emerging inside of me,

我突然意识到 我内在的意识出现了一个悖论

and the paradox was this: in all of those sermons

这个悖论就是 在我布道的过程中

that I preached decrying the violence,

我不仅在谴责暴力行为

I was also talking about building community,

同时也在宣传构建社区

but I suddenly realized

但是我忽然意识到

that there was a certain segment of the population

有这样一群人

that I was not including in my definition of community.

我一直把他们排除在社区这个概念之外

And so the paradox was this:

那么悖论来了

If I really wanted the community that I was preaching for,

如果我真的希望建立起我所宣传的社区

I needed to reach out

我必须伸出双手

and embrace this group that I had cut out of my definition.

拥抱这个曾经被我 排除在社区之外的群体

Which meant not about building programs

这意味着不是去建立活动

to catch those who were on the fences of violence,

来拯救处于暴力犯罪边缘的群体

but to reach out and to embrace those who were committing the acts of violence,

而是去伸出双手拥抱 那些正在参与暴力犯罪的人群

the gang bangers, the drug dealers.

比如黑帮成员，贩毒者等

As soon as I came to that realization, a quick question came to my mind.

当我意识到这些 一个疑问出现在我的脑海里

Why me?

为什么是我？

I mean, isn't this a law enforcement issue?

这不应该是执法机关的职责吗？

This is why we have the police, right?

这正是警察存在的原因，不是吗？

As soon as the question, "Why me?" came, the answer came just as quickly:

然而当这个问题出现时，我心中已有答案

Why me? Because I'm the one who can't sleep at night thinking about it.

为什么是我？因为我是那个 夜不能寐地思考这个问题的人

Because I'm the one looking around saying somebody needs to do something about this,

因为我是那个环顾四周说 必须有人为此做点什么的人

and I'm starting to realize that that someone is me.

我开始意识到那个人就是我

I mean, isn't that how movements start anyway?

社会运动不就是这样开始的吗？

They don't start with a grand convention and people coming together

社会运动的开始不会是 许多人聚集起来，开一场盛大的会议

and then walking in lockstep with a statement.

踢着正步，发表着宣言

But it starts with just a few, or maybe just one.

而是开始于一小部分人，甚至一个人

It started with me that way,

而这次开始于我

and so I decided to figure out the culture of violence

所以我决定研究暴力文化

in which these young people who were committing them existed,

在这种文化中包括许多年轻人，他们正在犯罪

and I started to volunteer at the high school.

我开始在高中做志愿者

After about two weeks of volunteering at the high school,

在高中志愿服务两周后

I realized that the youth that I was trying to reach,

我发现，我想要接触的那些年轻人

they weren't going to high school.

他们根本不会上高中

I started to walk in the community,

我开始在社区里四处走动

and it didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that they weren't out

这并不需要什么高深的学问就能知道

他们不在白天活动

during the day.

So I started to walk the streets at night, late at night,

所以我开始晚上在街上走动，在深夜

going into the parks where they were,

去那些他们聚集的公园

building the relationship that was necessary.

他们在这里建立一些必要的联系

A tragedy happened in Boston that brought a number of clergy together,

一个发生在波士顿的悲剧 将许多神职人员聚在了一起

and there was a small cadre of us who came to the realization

我们中有一小部分成员意识到

that we had to come out of the four walls of our sanctuary

我们必须走出自己的圣所

and meet the youth where they were,

然后到这些年轻人所在的地方和他们会面

and not try to figure out how to bring them in.

而不是试图将他们带进我们的世界

And so we decided to walk together,

所以我们决定一起行动

and we would get together

我们聚集在

in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city

这个城市里最危险的一个社区

on a Friday night and on a Saturday night

在周五和周六的晚上

at 10 p.m.,

在晚上10点钟

and we would walk until 2 or 3 in the morning.

我们会一直走到凌晨两三点

I imagine we were quite the anomaly when we first started walking.

我想我们第一次开始行走的时候，显得非常奇怪

I mean, we weren't drug dealers.

我们不是毒贩

We weren't drug customers.

我们也不吸毒

We weren't the police. Some of us would have collars on.

我们也不是警察 我们中还有人带着罗马领（男性宗教人员标志）

It was probably a really odd thing.

这显得相当的奇怪

But they started speaking to us after a while,

不久后，他们开始和我们说话

and what we found out is that

我们发现

while we were walking, they were watching us,

当我们行走时，他们也在观察我们

and they wanted to make sure of a couple of things:

他们想要确定一些事情

that number one, we were going to be consistent in our behavior,

第一，我们是否会始终如一的坚持我们的行为

that we would keep coming out there;

我们是否会坚持每晚都来

and then secondly, they had wanted to make sure

第二，他们想要确信

that we weren't out there to exploit them.

我们不会利用他们

因为总有人高喊

Because there was always somebody who would say,

我们会收回这些街道

"We're going to take back the streets,"

但是他们身上总是携带了摄像头

but they would always seem to have a television camera with them,

or a reporter,

或带着一个记者

and they would enhance their own reputation

这样做只是为了提高声望

to the detriment of those on the streets.

却对街上的他们造成威胁

So when they saw that we had none of that,

所以当他们了解我们并不是出于这些目的的时候

they decided to talk to us.

他们决定和我们交谈

And then we did an amazing thing for preachers.

然后我们做了一件作为传道者令人吃惊的事

We decided to listen and not preach.

我们决定倾听而不是说教

Come on, give it up for me.

来吧，为我们鼓掌欢呼

(Laughter) (Applause)

（笑声）（掌声）

All right, come on, you're cutting into my time now, okay? (Laughter)

停下吧，你们在浪费我的时间

But it was amazing.

但这确实让人吃惊

We said to them, "We don't know our own communities after 9 p.m. at night,

我们告诉他们 我们一直都不了解晚上九点后的我们自己的社区

between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.,

晚上九点到早晨五点之间

but you do.

但是你们了解

You are the subject matter experts, if you will, of that period of time.

如果愿意，你们是这个时间段在某些问题上的专家

So talk to us. Teach us.

所以请和我们谈谈，教教我们

Help us to see what we're not seeing.

帮助我们看见我们没有看见的东西

Help us to understand what we're not understanding."

帮助我们了解我们不了解的

And they were all too happy to do that,

他们都非常乐意帮助我们

and we got an idea of what life on the streets was all about,

并且使我们了解到了街上的人都在做什么

very different than what you see on the 11 o'clock news,

这些不同于你在11点的新闻所看到的

very different than what is portrayed in popular media and even social media.

也非常不同于主流媒体 甚至是社会媒体所描绘的画面

And as we were talking with them,

在与他们交流的过程中

a number of myths were dispelled about them with us.

我们消除了许多对他们的误解

And one of the biggest myths was that these kids were cold and heartless

最大的误解之一是，这些孩子都是冷血无情的

在暴力行动中表现出不寻常的胆量

and uncharacteristically bold in their violence.

What we found out was the exact opposite.

而我们发现的与上述却完全相反

Most of the young people who were out there on the streets

许多在街上游荡的年轻人

are just trying to make it on the streets.

其实只是为了努力融入我们

And we also found out

我们同样也发现

that some of the most intelligent and creative

他们中的一些孩子很聪明，极具创新力

and magnificent and wise

并且高贵又博学

people that we've ever met

这些我们遇到的人

were on the street, engaged in a struggle.

游走在街道上，为生活而奋斗

And I know some of them call it survival, but I call them overcomers,

他们中的一些人称之为生存 但是我称他们为不屈者

because when you're in the conditions that they're in,

因为当你处于他们一样境地的时候

能活一天就是完成了一次自我超越

to be able to live every day is an accomplishment of overcoming.

And as a result of that, we said to them,

因此，我们问他们

"How do you see this church, how do you see this institution

你怎么看待我们的教会 怎么看待这个机构

这个致力于改善这个状况的机构

helping this situation?"

And we developed a plan in conversation with these youths.

我们制定了一个与这些年轻人谈话的计划

We stopped looking at them as the problem to be solved,

我们不再把他们看成是需要解决的麻烦

and we started looking at them as partners, as assets,

我们开始视他们为伙伴，财富

as co-laborers in the struggle to reduce violence in the community.

视他们为一起减少社区暴力犯罪的同志

Imagine developing a plan,

想象一下我们制定计划的场面

you have one minister at one table and a heroin dealer at the other table,

一个牧师和一个海洛因贩子坐在一起

coming up with a way in which the church can help the entire community.

商量出一个教会怎样帮助整个社区的方法

The Boston Miracle was about bringing people together.

这就是把人们团结起来的“波士顿奇迹”

We had other partners.

我们有其他的伙伴

We had law enforcement partners.

我们有执法机关的伙伴

我们有警察

We had police officers.

It wasn't the entire force,

这并不是全部的力量

because there were still some who still had that lock-'em-up mentality,

因为仍然有些将自己内心封锁的人

but there were other cops

但是我们有另一部分警察

who saw the honor in partnering with the community,

他们在和大家的合作中感受到了荣誉

who saw the responsibility from themselves

他们看到了自己的责任

to be able to work as partners with community leaders and faith leaders

使他们可以与社区的领导和信仰领袖合作

in order to reduce violence in the community.

致力于减少社区的暴力犯罪

Same with probation officers,

同样的人也存在于缓刑监视官中

same with judges,

存在于法官中

same with folks who were up that law enforcement chain,

也存在于那些游离在法律之外的人中

because they realized, like we did,

因为他们也像我们一样意识到了

that we'll never arrest ourselves out of this situation,

我们无法靠逮捕改变现状

that there will not be enough prosecutions made,

起诉的数量永远也达不到顶峰

and you cannot fill these jails up enough

监狱永远也填不满

in order to alleviate the problem.

为了解决这个问题

I helped to start an organization

我帮助建立起一个组织

20 years ago, a faith-based organization, to deal with this issue.

20年前，建立了这个以信仰为基础的组织 来致力于解决此类问题

I left it about four years ago

大概4年前我离开了

and started working in cities across the United States,

并且开始在美国的各个城市工作

19 in total,

总共19个城市

and what I found out was that in those cities,

我发现在这些城市中

there was always this component of community leaders

总是有一些社区的领袖

who put their heads down and their nose to the grindstone,

他们兢兢业业，埋头苦干

who checked their egos at the door

他们不断地自我反省

and saw the whole as greater than the sum of its parts,

他们看到了团结的力量

and came together and found ways to work with youth out on the streets,

他们聚集在一起，并且想办法与街上的年轻人合作

that the solution is not more cops,

减少犯罪的方法不是需要更多的警察

but the solution is mining the assets that are there in the community,

而应该发掘社区中的每一股力量

to have a strong community component

组成一个强大的

in the collaboration around violence reduction.

致力于减少犯罪的合作组织

Now, there is a movement in the United States

现在，一个运动正在全美展开

of young people who I am very proud of who are dealing with the structural issues

由我引以为豪的青年们参与 他们致力于解决需要改变的结构性问题

that need to change if we're going to be a better society.

来使社会变得更好

But there is this political ploy to try to pit police brutality

但现在的政治策略是将警察暴行

and police misconduct against black-on-black violence.

和警察对于暴力事件的执法不当 分开

But it's a fiction.

然而这是一个谎言

It's all connected.

这两者之间都是相互联系的

When you think about decades of failed housing policies

想想几十年来失败的的房屋政策

and poor educational structures,

想想糟透的教育系统

when you think about persistent unemployment

想想持续不减失业率

and underemployment in a community,

和那些待业在家的人群

when you think about poor healthcare,

想想糟糕的医疗制度

and then you throw drugs into the mix

你将会吸食各种毒品

and duffel bags full of guns,

你将会用枪支填满你的背包

little wonder that you would see this culture of violence emerge.

在暴力充斥的氛围中，生活看不到希望

And then the response that comes from the state is more cops

而政府的方法却是一味的增加警力

and more suppression of hot spots.

镇压不断出现的犯罪

It's all connected,

所有的这些都是有关联的

and one of the wonderful things that we've been able to do

我们能做的最大的贡献

is to be able to show the value of partnering together --

是展示了合作的重要性

community, law enforcement, private sector, the city --

社区，司法机关，私人企业，整个城市联合起来

in order to reduce violence.

为减少暴力犯罪

You have to value that community component.

我们必要要重视社会的每一种力量

I believe that we can end the era of violence in our cities.

我相信我们能够终结这个城市的暴力

我相信那是有可能的，就算现在开始也不晚

I believe that it is possible and that people are doing it even now.

But I need your help.

但是我需要你们的帮助

It can't just come from folks who are burning themselves out

成功不仅仅来自于那些

in the community.

社区中无私奉献的人

They need support. They need help.

他们需要支持，需要帮助

Go back to your city.

回到你的城市

Find those people.

找到这些人

"You need some help? I'll help you out."

你们需要帮助吗？我可以帮助你们

Find those people. They're there.

找到这些人，他们就在那里

将他们与司法机关，私企以及整个城市联合起来

Bring them together with law enforcement, the private sector, and the city,

with the one aim of reducing violence,

一起为减少暴力犯罪而努力

but make sure that that community component is strong.

但是保证每个部分的联系是紧密的

因为就像布隆迪古老的谚语说的

Because the old adage that comes from Burundi is right:

that you do for me, without me, you do to me.

盲目的帮助，只能越帮越忙

God bless you. Thank you.

愿上帝保佑你们，谢谢

(Applause)

（掌声）