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

Late January, Love Park, Philadelphia.

The square, famous for its giant "LOVE" sculpture, was unusually lively today. Although there were no pizza deliveries, there was a very special street speech.

Vincent Carter was directing several volunteers to set up a makeshift stage, Sarah was adjusting the sound equipment, and Matthew was carrying a camera as he moved through the crowd, recording the atmosphere.

They are trying out their first street speech, and who can tell that the three of them are a lawyer, a finance major, and a history major?

"Sarah, is the sound system okay?" Vincent asked.

"No problem." Sarah gave a thumbs up. "It's just that the power is a bit low, so the sound might not carry very far."

"It doesn't matter, as long as it can be recorded," Matthew said. "Anyway, it'll eventually be edited into a video and posted online."

Just then, a commotion arose in the crowd.

"He's here! He's here!"

"Sean Penn! It's Sean Penn!"

Cheers erupted from the friendly crowd. Sean walked slowly over, waving to those around him.

As he walked, he glanced at the numbers above the heads of the people around him.

[55], [60], [70], [75]...

Most of them are positive, indicating that there are quite a few genuine supporters. However, there are also some glaring negative numbers mixed in.

-15, -20, -30...

These people were scattered throughout the crowd and looked like ordinary citizens, but Sean knew they were probably there to cause trouble.

"Ready?" Vincent approached and handed over the microphone.

Sean took the microphone and suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Mr. Carter, that smile tactic you taught me the day before yesterday was really effective."

"Really? How effective is it?"

"It's alright," Sean chuckled wryly. "But I think I went a bit too far. Where did you learn that trick?"

Vincent answered very seriously, "My kindergarten teacher."

"What?"

“That’s right.” Vincent adjusted his glasses. “Mrs. Malena, she was an old lady in her sixties. She said: Children love smiling adults the most because smiles mean safety. Adults are the same, they just don’t want to admit it.”

Sean paused for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled, "Your teacher is truly a talent."

At that moment, Sarah came over with her phone, a suppressed laugh on her face.

"Mr. Pan, you might need to take a look at this."

"What?"

"A lot of people on Twitter have turned your photos from the charity gala into memes," Sarah said, handing over her phone. "Someone even photoshopped your face onto that dancing scene in 'Joker'."

On the screen, a person dressed as a clown is dancing on the stairs, but the face is unmistakably Sean's.

The caption reads: "When you successfully turn the tables on everyone, be like:"

This time, someone has really stolen his face.

Can he ask them for royalties? And those damn South Park and Family Guy!

"Well..." Sean gave an awkward laugh, "I hope no one means any harm?"

"Probably not," Sarah said, trying hard to suppress a laugh. "People just think your laugh is too mesmerizing."

"Alright, alright, Sarah, stop looking." Sean handed the phone back to her. "Let's begin."

He stepped onto the simple podium and faced the sea of ​​people below.

The winter sun was a bit dazzling, but people's enthusiasm was even more intense.

"Everyone, thank you for coming today. I'd like to summarize what's happened these past few days, and also about my campaign," Sean began, his voice carrying throughout the square through the loudspeakers. "But before we begin, I'd like to talk about the city we live in."

He pointed to the iconic LOVE sculpture behind him.

"Philadelphia. Do you know what that name means?"

"Philadelphia, derived from Greek, means brotherly love."

"More than three hundred years ago, William Payne founded a city here. He dreamed of creating a place where people of different religions and backgrounds could live together peacefully. He named it the City of Friendship."

"A hundred years later, the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution here. They argued, debated, and compromised in this city, ultimately creating a brand new nation."

"Later on, this place became the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Steel mills, shipyards, textile mills... countless immigrants poured into the city, building the foundation of the American Dream with their sweat and blood."

Sean looked at the crowd.

"But what about now?"

"Now, standing in this once-great city, what do we see?"

"It's a dilapidated neighborhood. It's a closed factory. It's a homeless community. It's a neighborhood filled with mutual hatred."

"Blacks and whites distrust each other. Old immigrants and new immigrants exclude each other. The rich live behind walls, while the poor struggle to survive on the streets."

"Is this still the city of friendship?"

He pointed to the LOVE sculpture.

"Look at this sculpture. It has become a tourist attraction for visitors from all over the world. But for the people who actually live here, how much meaning does the word 'love' still have?"

"I know a lot has happened in the last few weeks. The death of Thomas Reynolds, the controversy over community funding. And looking further back, there's some trouble I've gotten myself into."

These things have made us more divided. They have made us more angry. They have made us less trusting of each other.

"But what I want to say today is: we can't go on like this."

"Philadelphia needs to come together again, and America needs to come together. Not because of a politician's call, not because of a slogan's incitement, but because we are all part of this city, this country."

"We need to turn enemies into friends, we need unity!"

Thunderous applause erupted, but discordant voices followed.

"That sounds nice!" someone shouted from the crowd. "How do you plan to unite everyone?! By handing out pizzas?!"

Then others joined in the commotion: "Hand over your list! How much more are you hiding?! Are you protecting those criminals?!"

Sean looked in the direction of the sound and saw several guys with [-25] and [-30] flashing above their heads leading the charge.

Before he could even speak, someone in the crowd retorted.

"Shut up! Let him finish!"

"Who sent you?!"

"Get out! Don't cause trouble here!"

Sean recognized one of the figures. It was Tony Martinez, the worker he had met at the union forum and the Chinese restaurant, whom he had indeed invited over.

Tony, along with several others, glared angrily at the instigators.

"Everyone, everyone!" Sean raised his hand, signaling for quiet. "Let them talk, it's freedom of speech!"

He looked at the troublemakers, his smile unchanged.

"You ask me how to unite everyone? That's a very good question. My answer is: start by solving practical problems. Not just shouting slogans, but actually taking action."

"As for the list..." He paused, "it will be released when the time is right. But I want to tell you, the people on that list are not the small fry you imagine. They are behemoths, deeply entrenched cancers in this system. I need time to ensure everything goes smoothly."

"Otherwise, I will die an unexplained death like Thomas Reynolds."

The room fell silent after he said that.

Just then, a loud voice rang out from the crowd.

"Since you say you want to solve practical problems..."

A burly Black man pushed his way to the front and asked, "Then how can you prove you're not just talking nonsense?"

Sean glanced at the number above his head: [25].

"Hmm... I wonder if you have any suggestions?" Sean asked in return.

"Start with the things closest to you, Sean," the Black man said. "Like... the 76ers and Chinatown thing. If you can handle that, you'll win the cheers of the whole city."

These words immediately sparked a murmur of discussion among the crowd.

At the same time, Matthew, who was carrying a camera in the audience, changed his expression.

As an Asian, he knew all too well how tricky this matter was.

He frantically winked at Sean, signaling him to brush it off and quickly avoid this sensitive topic.

But Sean's eyes lit up.

"Okay! I promise you!"

At that moment, Matthew almost choked.

"Are you crazy?!" he screamed inwardly.

But Sean had already turned to the crowd and continued:

"The issue between the 76ers and Chinatown is not essentially a matter of basketball versus Chinese food."

"This is a question about 'who has the right to decide the future of the city'."

"Do the rich and developers have the final say, or do the ordinary people who actually live here have the final say?"

"The residents of Chinatown, their ancestors came here more than a hundred years ago. They struggled to survive under the shadow of the Chinese Exclusion Act. They were confined to this small area, but they did not give up. They built their own community, their own culture, their own home."

"Now, someone wants to wipe all of this away with a stadium."

"This is not development, this is plunder."

"I'm not saying the stadium can't be built. I'm saying the decision-making process must be transparent, fair, and everyone's voice must be heard."

"If I have the opportunity, I will go to Chinatown in person and talk to the residents there. I will listen to their demands and see if there is a win-win solution."

"Because in this country, no one's rights should be ignored. Whether you are Black, White, or Asian."

The applause rang out again, this time even louder than before.

The sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance; usually, two or three police officers patrolled this area.

"It's almost time, Pan," Vincent whispered, leaning closer. "We didn't apply for a permit to hold an assembly. If the police come, we'll be in trouble."

Although he knew many friends in the police system, he still encountered some trouble.

Sean continued speaking to the crowd:

"That's all for today, everyone! Thank you for listening! Remember, the future of Philadelphia is in each and every one of our hands!"

After saying this, he jumped off the podium and, under the cover of Vincent and Sarah, quickly evacuated Love Park.