America: From a Fallen Child Star to the Head of the University of the West

Chapter 108 Unexpected Visit

In the meeting room of the Watts Youth Empowerment Center.

The intruder was a Latino man in his thirties, wearing a faded work shirt, with a desperate anger in his eyes.

The number above his head is negative.

When he pushed open the conference room door, the security guard quickly stood up, but did not take immediate action. He was professionally trained and knew that overreacting in this situation could lead to worse consequences.

"You!" the man pointed at Sean, his voice hoarse, "you Hollywood conman! You think you can fool us too?"

"Me?" Sean frowned, thinking to himself, what does it have to do with him?

Denise Carter immediately stood up: "Travis, calm down. This is a place for civilized dialogue."

"Civilization?" Travis sneered. "My sister was beaten to death by the police three years ago, and you're talking to me about civilization? I applied for twenty jobs and was rejected by all of them, and you're talking to me about civilization?"

Sean also stood up, but didn't approach. He gestured for the security guards to keep their distance.

This guy's words sound extreme; he's like the kind of invincible person who would disregard everything and explode with everyone.

Sean felt conflicted and even a little uneasy about this.

"Mr. Travis, I understand your anger. If you want to speak—there's a microphone here." He glanced at the microphone.

"I don't want to use your microphones!" Travis's eyes reddened. "I want you to see this!"

He pulled a crumpled photograph from his pocket and tossed it onto the table. The photograph showed a teenage girl with a bright smile.

“This is my sister, she’s only seventeen. She was just walking down the street when the police said she resembled a suspect in a robbery. She tried to explain, and they pinned her to the ground—by the time the ambulance arrived, she was already—” Travis’s voice choked with emotion. “Three years have passed, and nothing has changed. The police are still there, I still can’t find a job, and the rent keeps going up. And then you came along, another smooth talker. I don’t know what faction you’re on, what party you’re part of, but I’ve had enough.”

The meeting room was so quiet you could hear someone breathing.

Among the other community residents, some felt sympathy, some felt embarrassed, and some nodded in agreement.

Most people felt that Travis shouldn't have come here to cause trouble; that was the police's job! Besides, causing trouble here would likely only result in him getting a run for his money.

Sean looked at the photo, then looked up at Travis: "I've never met your sister and don't know her story. But if you'd like, you can sit down and tell us what happened. All the details."

Travis was stunned, seemingly not expecting this reaction.

"I don't need sympathy—"

"I'm not going to offer you sympathy," Sean said calmly, to his surprise. "I need to know the facts. If what you're saying is true, then this isn't just your personal tragedy; it's a systemic problem. But if I just listen to you shout a few words and then leave, nothing will change."

He paused. "So, sit down, use the microphone, and tell us everything. Or do you just want to vent and then leave, so we can continue our civilized dialogue?"

Travis stared at Sean for a few seconds, then slowly walked to an empty chair and sat down, while Denise handed him the microphone.

Over the next ten minutes, Travis recounted the entire story, including his sister's death, the perfunctory police investigation, the lengthy and frustrating civil lawsuit, his own unemployment, and many similar experiences in the community.

After Travis finished speaking, Sean said, "First, thank you for sharing. Second, I can't promise to solve your sister's case immediately or find you a job. But I can do three things."

He held up three fingers: "First, my team will contact you and obtain all relevant documents and case numbers. We have a professional legal team, and we will assess whether we can provide legal support, or at least help you connect with a more capable lawyer."

"Secondly, regarding employment, we are in talks with several tech companies that are willing to provide training and job opportunities, especially for people with employment barriers. If you'd like, you can participate in our skills assessment to see if there are any suitable training programs."

"Third, and most importantly, sir, I will remember your sister, and I will mention her in my speech, not to exploit her story, but to let more people know her name."

"Trust me, okay?"

He hoped he could persuade this seemingly volatile man, though no one knew if he might pull out a gun at any moment.

Travis's expression shifted from anger to confusion, then to a complex mix of emotions. He opened his mouth, but ultimately only managed to say, "You—you really would do such a thing?"

"You can choose not to believe me," Sean said frankly, "but at least give me a chance to prove myself. If I haven't done anything in a month, you can call me a liar, and I won't talk back."

The meeting continued. Travis didn't speak again, but he didn't leave either; he just sat there, looking down at his sister's photo.

The meeting ended at 2 p.m. The originally planned one-hour meeting had extended to nearly three hours.

The crowd began to disperse, but several people stayed behind, wanting to chat with Sean a little longer.

Sean responded to each of them, exchanged contact information with them, and promised to follow up.

Denise Carter walked over to him and whispered, "I have to admit, you handled it better than I expected. Most politicians would either call security to drag him out or feign sympathy and then forget about it."

"7

"I'm not a politician," Sean said. "At least not yet."

Denise smiled. "Oh, by the way, Maria Reyes is waiting for you outside. She said she'd like to talk for twenty minutes if you have time."

Maria Reyes, head of the Watts Community Action Network, is a petite but energetic Latina woman in her sixties. At this moment, she is wearing a brightly colored floral dress and her hair is neatly styled in a bun.

“Mr. Sean,” she said, her handshake surprisingly firm, “I watched the entire panel discussion. You have guts; that’s rare.”

.

They found a small office in the community center and sat down. Rachel and Mark stood guard outside the door.

Maria cut to the chase: "I have two questions. First, were you serious about what you just said to Travis, or were you just trying to appease him?"

"We're serious," Sean said. "We're already in talks with several social enterprises. Watts might be the first one."

Maria stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Okay. Second question: Do you know anything about community land trusts?"

Sean recalled the concept.

Community land trusts are a nonprofit housing model that permanently maintains housing affordability by separating land ownership from home ownership.

Residents can purchase or rent houses, but the land is owned by the trust, and the price is restricted when the houses are resold, ensuring long-term affordability.

"I know a little," he said.

Maria's eyes lit up: "Do you know how many community land trust projects there are in California?"

"Probably not many," he said uncertainly.

“Very few,” Maria said. “Because banks are unwilling to lend to these kinds of projects, government support is limited, and developers aren’t interested. But this is one of the key tools for solving the housing crisis. If you really want to help communities like Watts, you need to push for legislation that provides funding and tax incentives for community land trusts and streamlines the approval process.”

She took a document out of her bag: "This is a draft proposal I wrote, which has been revised twelve times. I gave it to city councilors and state legislators, and they all nodded in approval, but then nothing happened."

Sean took the document and quickly skimmed through it. The proposal detailed how to support community land trusts through state-level funds, how to amend regulations, and how to negotiate loan terms with banks.

Sounds good! This policy is his now!

"I'll have my team look into this," he said. "If it works, we can incorporate it into our policy proposals at the California level."

Maria's expression completely relaxed for the first time: "Are you really sure you can?"

“If I think it’s right and feasible,” Sean said, “but I need time and your continued involvement. You can’t just throw me a document and wait for me to do magic.”

Maria smiled, a smile that revealed the resilience honed by decades of community work: "Oh, young man, if you start doing this, you'll think I'm getting too involved."

They talked for another ten minutes and agreed that the person in charge of housing policy on the team would speak with Maria in detail next week.

It was 3:30 p.m. when I left the community center. The sun was still glaring, but there seemed to be more people on the streets, because children had left school and adults had gone home from get off work.

As Sean and Rachel walked toward the car, he saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall.

It's Travis.

He was holding a photo of his sister when he walked over.

"Mr. Pan."

Sean stopped in his tracks, and Rachel also cast a wary glance at him.

Travis hesitated for a moment: "I—I might have been too impulsive just now."

"It's okay, I understand," Sean said.

"No, I mean—" Travis took a deep breath, "Are you really going to do what you just said? Find me a lawyer, get justice for my sister?"

Sean didn't answer immediately. He glanced at the number above Travis's head; it had changed from a negative number to 35, still not high, but at least it was turning positive.

"Travis," Sean sighed, "I can't guarantee the outcome. The justice system can be slow and unfair at times. The job market is brutal too. But I can guarantee that my team will take your case seriously, invest time and resources, and stay on track. If it fails, we'll tell you why and see if there are other options."

He paused for a moment: "But I also need your commitment. If you join the training program in the future, you must complete it seriously. If you accept legal assistance, you must cooperate with the lawyer. This is not a one-sided act of charity, but a collaboration."

Travis stared at the ground for a long time, then nodded. "Okay, I—I'm willing to give it a try."