A guerilla gardener in South Central LA | Ron Finley

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Ren Wan Reviewer: Ga-Wai Lau

I live in South Central.

我住喺中南部

This is South Central:

中南部係咁樣嘅：

liquor stores,

好多酒舖

fast food,

好多快餐店

vacant lots.

好多空地

So the city planners, they get together and they figure

之後有啲城市規劃師走到埋嚟一齊討論

they're going to change the name South Central to make it represent something else,

佢哋決定將中南部呢個名 改成一個更加有意義嘅名

so they change it to South Los Angeles,

改成南洛杉磯

like this is going to fix what's really going wrong in the city.

佢哋覺得改咗個名 就可以解決呢個城市所有問題

This is South Los Angeles. (Laughter)

所以呢度係南洛杉磯（笑聲）

Liquor stores,

好多酒舖

fast food,

好多快餐

vacant lots.

好多空地

Just like 26.5 million other Americans,

同其他 2,650 萬美國人一樣

I live in a food desert,

我住喺一個食物荒蕪之地

South Central Los Angeles,

就係洛杉磯中南部

home of the drive-thru and the drive-by.

亦係外賣車道普遍 同馬路槍擊頻繁嘅地方

Funny thing is, the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys.

有趣嘅係

外賣車道比馬路槍擊所奪去嘅生命仲多

People are dying from curable diseases

喺洛杉磯中南部

好多人都死於有得醫嘅病

in South Central Los Angeles.

For instance, the obesity rate in my neighborhood

譬如話，我住嘅嗰區嘅癡肥率

is five times higher than, say, Beverly Hills,

比我哋八、十里距離外嘅比佛利山

which is probably eight, 10 miles away.

高出五倍

I got tired of seeing this happening.

我對呢種情況好厭倦

And I was wondering, how would you feel

所以我就開始諗

if you had no access to healthy food,

如果你冇辦法得到健康嘅食品

if every time you walk out your door you see the ill effects

如果你每次出門口都睇到呢啲食物 對你嘅隔籬鄰舍產生壞影響

that the present food system has on your neighborhood?

你會有咩感受？

I see wheelchairs bought and sold

我見到輪椅好似二手車咁普通咁買賣

like used cars.

I see dialysis centers popping up like Starbucks.

我睇住嗰啲洗腎中心 好似星巴克咁起完一間又一間

And I figured, this has to stop.

我就諗：呢啲嘢要停喇

So I figured that the problem is the solution.

我後來發現問題嘅癥結係解決嘅關鍵

Food is the problem and food is the solution.

敗也食物，成也食物

Plus I got tired of driving 45 minutes round trip

再加上，我唔想再來回 45 分鐘車程

to get an apple that wasn't impregnated with pesticides.

先至買到冇農藥嘅蘋果

So what I did, I planted a food forest in front of my house.

於是，我就喺屋企門前整咗一塊田

It was on a strip of land that we call a parkway.

位置就係嗰條又長又窄嘅馬路邊草地

It's 150 feet by 10 feet.

大概係 150 呎長、十呎闊

Thing is, it's owned by the city.

問題係，它係屬於市政府嘅

But you have to maintain it.

但係必須由你自己去打理

So I'm like, "Cool. I can do whatever the hell I want,

我就諗：「咁就得啦，既然由我打理，

since it's my responsibility and I gotta maintain it."

咁我想點搞都得啦。」

And this is how I decided to maintain it.

咁我就決定咗咁樣搞

So me and my group, L.A. Green Grounds, we got together

我同洛杉磯綠地組織嘅會員 一齊合力種植農作物、果樹

and we started planting my food forest, fruit trees,

you know, the whole nine, vegetables.

你知啦，就係各式各類嘅蔬菜

What we do, we're a pay-it-forward kind of group,

我哋係人哋好心幫我 我哋好心幫其他人嘅一類組織

where it's composed of gardeners from all walks of life,

我哋嘅園丁嚟自各行各業

from all over the city, and it's completely volunteer,

嚟自城市各個角落，百分百義務性質

and everything we do is free.

而且我哋做嘅都係免費

And the garden, it was beautiful.

果園好靚

And then somebody complained.

但跟住就有人去投訴

The city came down on me,

市政府搵我，同我講咗一條法律

and basically gave me a citation saying that I had to remove my garden,

大致上就係叫我拆咗個果園

which this citation was turning into a warrant.

如果唔係，我就會收到法庭傳票

And I'm like, "Come on, really?

我當時嘅反應係：「唔係啩？

A warrant for planting food on a piece of land

你竟然因為我哋 喺呢笪無關痛癢嘅地方種植

that you could care less about?" (Laughter)

而發傳票？」（笑聲）

And I was like, "Cool. Bring it."

我心諗：「話知你。」

Because this time it wasn't coming up.

好彩件事冇搞到好大

So L.A. Times got ahold of it. Steve Lopez did a story on it

洛杉磯時報有報導過

Steve Lopez 記者又整咗篇報道

and talked to the councilman,

Steve Lopez 仲同議員 同埋綠地組織其中一名成員傾過

and one of the Green Grounds members,

they put up a petition on Change.org,

佢哋喺 Change.org 幫我哋 發起咗簽名運動

and with 900 signatures, we were a success.

我哋最後爭取到九百個簽名

我哋係相當成功

We had a victory on our hands.

我哋贏咗啦！

My councilman even called in and said how they endorse

議員仲打電話畀我

同我講佢哋點支持 同點解鐘意我哋依家做緊嘅嘢

and love what we're doing.

I mean, come on, why wouldn't they?

我覺得：梗係啦 點解佢哋會唔鐘意吖

L.A. leads the United States in vacant lots that the city actually owns.

洛杉磯嘅空地面積係全美之冠

They own 26 square miles of vacant lots.

有成 26 平方里嘅空地

That's 20 Central Parks.

相當於 20 個中央公園

That's enough space to plant 725 million tomato plants.

呢個空間足夠種 7.25 億棵番茄樹

Why in the hell would they not okay this?

佢哋有乜鬼理由會唔鐘意？

Growing one plant will give you 1,000, 10,000 seeds.

一棵植物可以提供一千、一萬粒種子

When one dollar's worth of green beans

價值一蚊嘅青豆 可以產生到價值 75 蚊嘅產品

will give you 75 dollars' worth of produce.

It's my gospel, when I'm telling people, grow your own food.

我成日都同啲人講自己種食物啦

Growing your own food is like printing your own money.

自己種嘢食就好似自己印銀紙咁

(Applause)

（掌聲）

See, I have a legacy in South Central.

你睇下，我同中南部有好有緣

I grew up there. I raised my sons there.

我喺嗰邊大，我啲仔又係喺嗰邊大

And I refuse to be a part of this manufactured reality

但係依家呢個現實社會 係人為製造出嚟嘅

that was manufactured for me by some other people,

所以我好拒絕呢個現實社會

and I'm manufacturing my own reality.

我要製造我自己嘅現實生活

See, I'm an artist.

而且，我係一名藝術家

Gardening is my graffiti. I grow my art.

花草樹木有如我嘅塗鴉

我栽種我自己嘅藝術

Just like a graffiti artist, where they beautify walls,

就好似一名塗鴉家咁，佢哋美化碰牆

me, I beautify lawns, parkways.

我就美化草地、公園道路

I use the garden, the soil, like it's a piece of cloth,

花圃、泥土就好似我塊畫布咁

and the plants and the trees,

花草樹木就係呢塊布嘅點綴飾物

that's my embellishment for that cloth.

You'd be surprised what the soil could do

如果你將塊地當成你嘅畫布

if you let it be your canvas.

佢嘅鬼斧神工係你所預料唔到嘅

You just couldn't imagine how amazing a sunflower is

你係冇辦法想像到一朵向日葵有幾靚

and how it affects people.

亦都估唔到佢點對人有影響

So what happened?

咁，究竟發生咗咩事呢？

I have witnessed my garden become a tool for the education,

我見證住自己嘅花圃 變成有教育意義嘅事

a tool for the transformation of my neighborhood.

同埋改造到我個社區

To change the community, you have to change the composition of the soil.

但我想講，要改變社區

就要先改變泥土嘅成份

We are the soil.

而我哋就係泥土

You'd be surprised how kids are affected by this.

你會好驚訝花圃點樣可以影響到細路仔

Gardening is the most therapeutic

園藝尤其是喺城市入邊

and defiant act you can do,

係最有治療功效嘅 兼最可以放膽做嘅行為

especially in the inner city.

Plus you get strawberries.

再加上，你可以攞到士多啤梨

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I remember this time,

我記得有次有對母女過嚟

there was this mother and a daughter came,

it was, like, 10:30 at night, and they were in my yard,

嗰次大概係夜晚十點半左右

佢哋嚟到我個園圃

and I came out and they looked so ashamed.

然之後我行咗出去，佢哋睇起嚟好冇面

So I'm like, man, it made me feel bad that they were there,

但見到咁，我覺得好難受

and I told them, you know, you don't have to do this like this.

我就同佢哋講話︰ 「其實你哋唔使咁樣，

This is on the street for a reason.

之所以種喺條街度係有原因嘅。」

It made me feel ashamed to see people

睇住住喺我附近嘅人肚餓咁生活 令到我好唔好意思

that were this close to me that were hungry,

and this only reinforced why I do this,

呢件事亦都令我堅定我所做嘅嘢

and people asked me, "Fin, aren't you afraid

有啲人會問我：「乜你唔驚 啲人嚟偷你啲食物咩？」

people are going to steal your food?"

And I'm like, "Hell no, I ain't afraid they're gonna steal it.

我就話喇︰「梗係唔會啦， 我唔驚佢哋會嚟偷嘢食。

That's why it's on the street.

我擺得喺度就預咗佢哋攞。

That's the whole idea.

呢個就係我設立園圃嘅目的。

I want them to take it, but at the same time,

我希望佢哋去攞，但係喺同一時間，

I want them to take back their health."

我希望佢哋飲食會更加健康。」

There's another time when I put

仲有一次

我喺洛杉磯市中心嘅 一間流浪漢之家整咗個園圃

a garden in this homeless shelter in downtown Los Angeles.

These are the guys, they helped me unload the truck.

嗰啲流浪漢好好心 幫我將啲嘢由個貨車搬落嚟

It was cool, and they just shared the stories

成個園圃計劃都好正

之後佢哋都分享返呢件事

about how this affected them and how

講呢件事對佢哋嘅影響

同埋講返佢哋點同佢哋媽咪 阿嫲阿婆一齊種嘢

they used to plant with their mother and their grandmother,

and it was just cool to see how this changed them,

即使個影響只不過係一時三刻都好

if it was only for that one moment.

睇見園圃對佢哋嘅影響，我好開心

So Green Grounds has gone on to plant

咁，到依家綠地組織 已經設立咗可能廿個園圃

maybe 20 gardens.

We've had, like, 50 people come to our dig-ins

我們已經有五十個人幫手耕種

and participate, and it's all volunteers.

佢哋全部都係義工

If kids grow kale, kids eat kale.

如果啲細路種甘藍菜 咁佢哋就食甘藍菜

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

If they grow tomatoes, they eat tomatoes. (Applause)

如果佢哋種番茄 咁佢哋就食番茄（掌聲）

But when none of this is presented to them,

但係如果佢哋未曾見過呢啲食物

if they're not shown how food affects the mind and the body,

如果冇人畀佢哋睇清楚 食物係點樣影響身體

they blindly eat whatever the hell you put in front of them.

佢哋就會好盲目食你擺喺佢哋面前嘅嘢

I see young people

我見過後生仔想搵份工做

and they want to work,

but they're in this thing where they're caught up --

但係佢哋被呢個現實社會限制咗

I see kids of color and they're just on this track

我識得好多非白種人嘅年輕人 身處呢個困局

that's designed for them,

that leads them to nowhere.

無前途可言

So with gardening, I see an opportunity

所以，我就諗

我哋可以用呢個園藝計劃 去訓練呢啲細路

where we can train these kids

to take over their communities,

畀佢哋去接掌佢哋嘅社區

to have a sustainable life.

畀佢哋可以自力更生

And when we do this, who knows?

我哋咁樣做嘅時候

We might produce the next George Washington Carver.

無人知道日後佢哋會有咩創舉

我哋可能培養出 喬治．華盛頓．卡弗二世嘅人

but if we don't change the composition of the soil,

但如果一日我們唔改變泥土嘅成份

we will never do this.

我哋永遠就唔會有可能

Now this is one of my plans. This is what I want to do.

依家，呢個就係我其中一個計劃

呢個就係我想做嘅嘢

I want to plant a whole block of gardens

我想種一大片田

where people can share in the food in the same block.

畀啲街坊可以分享食物

I want to take shipping containers

我想將貨櫃變成有益嘅咖啡廳

and turn them into healthy cafes.

Now don't get me wrong.

嗱，唔好誤會

I'm not talking about no free shit,

我唔係話乜鬼都唔使錢

because free is not sustainable.

因為免費係冇辦法可以經營落去嘅

The funny thing about sustainability,

經營係一件好得意嘅嘢

you have to sustain it.

就係你必須經營落去

(Laughter) (Applause)

（笑聲、掌聲）

What I'm talking about is putting people to work,

我所講嘅係畀人有工作

and getting kids off the street, and letting them know

畀細路仔有地方可以去，唔使喺條街度

the joy, the pride and the honor in growing your own food,

同時畀佢哋體會下

自己種嘢食、自己開農產品市場 嘅樂趣、喜悅，同埋光榮

opening farmer's markets.

So what I want to do here,

我而家喺度想做嘅係

we gotta make this sexy.

首先我哋必須要令 農圃耕作搞到好有噱頭

So I want us all to become ecolutionary renegades,

我想大家都變成環保革命分子 環保派系、環保幫派園丁

gangstas, gangsta gardeners.

We gotta flip the script on what a gangsta is.

從今我哋要改寫幫派嘅描述

If you ain't a gardener, you ain't gangsta.

如果你唔係園丁，咁你就唔係幫派份子

Get gangsta with your shovel, okay?

要做幫派份子 就要攞起你個鏟，明冇？

And let that be your weapon of choice.

等個鏟成為你嘅武器

(Applause)

（掌聲）

So basically, if you want to meet with me,

基本上，如果你想見我

you know, if you want to meet,

就係如果你想見面嘅話

don't call me if you want to sit around in cushy chairs

你一定唔可以淨係想坐喺度開會

and have meetings where you talk about doing some shit --

講埋晒你想咩嘢嘅廢話

where you talk about doing some shit.

If you want to meet with me, come to the garden

如果你係想同我見面嘅 咁就嚟農圃呢度

with your shovel so we can plant some shit.

帶埋你個鏟，我哋一起種嘢

Peace. Thank you.

係咁多，多謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thank you. (Applause)

多謝（掌聲）