This is the first of multiple interviews with David Oh, who is running as a Republican against Cherelle Parker in November. In each interview, we will dig deep into important issues in the nation and here in Philadelphia to get to know the candidates, the issues, and their perspectives on them.
我强调支持移民和无证移民
I have been a strong proponent of immigrants and undocumented people.
记者：在很多人的印象中，共和党在近年来一直将移民作为打击对象，是这样吗？
Q: Republicans have made immigrants their punching bag for nearly a generation.欧大卫：对的。
A: True.记者：我想我们的读者会关心下面的话题：您将如何保护费城的移民社区？
Q: How will you protect the immigrant community in Philadelphia?欧大卫：我想要公平！尽管很多人对共和党有一些刻板印象，比如说他们攻击移民，或者更准确地说，是无证移民，但民主党也不能独善其身。这在很大程度上不是党派问题，而是取决于你身在何处。
A: I’d like to be fair; while Republicans are stereotyped as beating up on immigrants or, more accurately, undocumented aliens, so have Democrats. It’s really not a matter of party for the most part; it’s a matter of where you’re from. 如果您住在德克萨斯或其它边境州，无论你是共和党还是民主党，您可能都会支持边境安全。我一直强调支持移民和无证移民。但这并不意味着他们可以逃避《移民法》的管理。
If you’re from Texas or a border state, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, you’re probably for border security and other things. I have been a strong proponent of immigrants and undocumented people. Now, that doesn’t mean they are immune to law enforcement.一方面，他们需要受到法律的约束，另一方面费城市政府没有义务，配合移民与海关执法局（ I.C.E.）和其它执法部门对无证移民进行执法，这事儿和市政府不相干。当然，如果涉及到暴力犯罪，我会配合联邦当局工作的。
They are subject to law enforcement, and they are subject to immigration laws and the enforcement of immigration laws. However, that is not the role of the city government, nor the city government’s role to not cooperate with I.C.E. and other entities when dealing with criminals. I would cooperate with federal authorities for people who have committed violent crimes.
Now, I wouldn’t cooperate for things that are truly minor. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has changed the definition of what is a felony. In Pennsylvania, a felony is a crime punishable by up to seven years or more in the commonwealth. A misdemeanor is punishable by no more than five years, maximum. But I.C.E. has changed the definition of a felony to a crime punishable by more than one year. That’s a very different definition. We live in Philadelphia, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, so almost everything is punishable by more than one year, so that everything would be a felony by their standard.欧大卫：无证移民既然已经来到了这里，我希望他们也能过得好。比如可以获得优质的教育，找到一份好工作，为未来打下基础。而且他们始终有机会转变成有身份的人。美国是移民国家，有许多成为合法移民的路径。同时他们的孩子，也有权获得优质的教育和其它的一切。
While they’re here, I want them to do well. I want them to get an excellent education, get a good job, and build for the future, and they can always try to become documented. That’s one of the things about our country; there are many pathways to becoming documented. In the meantime, their children are entitled to an excellent education and everything else.
图片来自费城市议会Photo Credit to City Council
在宾州堕胎合法，
我们将继续提供相关的医疗服务
Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania, we will continue to provide the available services.
Q: Republicans have been attacking Trans and women’s healthcare at the state and national levels. How will you protect healthcare in Philadelphia, specifically reproductive healthcare?欧大卫：我们在这里讨论的很多内容，都是在联邦和州一级进行的。但是在费城，我们拥有医疗保健中心，可以满足广泛人群的医疗保健需求，无论是应对艾滋病毒还是在变性的过程导致并发症的人。这些是公共医疗保健的一部分，我们也将继续这样做。
A: A lot of what we’re talking about here lies at the federal and state level, but we have healthcare centers that provide for a broad range of healthcare needs, whether it’s H.I.V. care or care for people transitioning or dealing with complications due to their transition from one gender to another. Those are things that are just a part of providing public healthcare, and we’re going to keep doing that.欧大卫：堕胎是否属于违宪的问题，最高法院已经做出了裁决。这是一项可以通过宪法修正案解决的法律问题。与此同时，在宾州堕胎是合法的，所以在法律允许的情况下，我们将继续提供相关的医疗服务。
The Supreme Court has dealt with whether abortion care is a constitutional fight, a federal dispute that could always be resolved through a constitutional amendment. In the meantime, abortion is legal in Pennsylvania, so there’s nothing for me to do there other than continue to provide the available services in accordance with the law.
图片来自海华都市报
Photo Credit to Metro Chinese Weekly
我能做到最好的，就是让大家活得自在。
The best thing I can do is provide a less stressful environment
Q: There has been a massive rise in hate crimes nationwide, including in Philadelphia. As Mayor, how would you protect marginalized communities from these sorts of crimes and cool the rhetoric aimed at them?欧大卫：我觉得作为市长，我能做到最好的，就是让大家活得自在。如果一个人找不到工作、挣不到钱、付不起房租，他就更容易地觉到自己受到了不公平的待遇，就更容易迁怒于他人。
A: I think the best thing the Mayor can do is provide a less stressful environment. What I mean is the more people can’t get a job, earn a living, or pay the rent, the more they feel they are somehow disadvantaged by other people; the more they tend to scapegoat other people. So, I would start by making life easier for people by providing a more efficient government that is more responsive. The next thing is to look at our city government, and many things can be done with technology regarding language and access. Making sure people can get the answers they need 24/7.欧大卫：我们必须认识到所有的事情都不是一成不变的。有时候会有“亚裔仇恨”和反亚裔的暴力行为，有时候是反犹太主义或跨性别仇恨、还有反非裔的种族主义，此起彼伏。有时候它们被按住了，有时候它们也被拿到台面上。
Recognizing things aren’t always constant; sometimes there’s Asian hate and anti-Asian violence, and sometimes it’s Anti-Semitism or Transphobia, Anti-Black racism. These things ebb and flow; sometimes, they are somewhat suppressed, and other times, they rise to the surface. 当一个城市中有偏见出现时，市长都应该扮演积极的角色。重要的是要在法律范围和宪法的框架内，理解第一修正案，甚至保护我们不喜欢的言论。政府不能给大家“洗脑”，但是可以让大家知道在受到侵害的时候拿起法律武器保护自己。比如对于仇恨性的言论，当第一修正案和相关法律和公共利益发生冲突的时候；你不能有意或无意地、直接或间接的方式针对某些人群，你必须小心处理这个问题，因为受到保护的言论和仇恨言论之间有一条微妙的界限。
The Mayor should take an active role whenever and where bigotry arises in the city. It’s essential to stay within the realm of the law, within the frame of the constitution, understanding the First Amendment protects even speech we don’t like. The Government can’t be there to tell people what to think; they can tell them the law and hold them accountable when they step out of it. Hate speech is one of those issues where the First Amendment collides with the law and the public good; you can’t target people, especially with the intent to create harm directly or indirectly…You have to be careful here because there is a fine line between protected speech and hate speech.美国某地发生了反 LGBTQ 的袭击，费城同性恋社区的人们对此非常担忧，担心这里可能会发生类似的袭击。我问了其中一个社区成员，是否希望在同性恋社区增加一两辆额外的巡逻车。我认为如果要这样做，是否应该将一些 LGBTQ 的警官派驻到那里，这样会更容易与社区成员沟通，了解和解决他们的问题。对亚裔社区也是一样。社区居民们是否想要会说中文、柬埔寨语或越南语的警官？
There was an anti-LGBTQ attack in another part of the country, and there was a lot of concern in the Gayborhood that there could be some sort of copycat attack here. So, I asked a person from the community who was in touch with me if they wanted an extra patrol car or two in the Gayborhood. I thought if we were going to do that, wouldn’t it be good to place some LGBTQ officers there, to use officers who the neighborhood would be more comfortable with, who knew their issues. The same goes for the Asian community. Do they want officers who speak Chinese, Cambodian, or Vietnamese? 不管受影响的是哪个团体，我们都必须去询问他们想如何解决问题。不能只派警察过去了事，有时这可能会火上浇油。社区成员可能会觉得自己不仅被仇恨，还遭到警察的围攻，这样的事情时有发生。因此，我们首先要自检，与边缘化的社区保持沟通，在事情失控之前，发现和解决隐患。
Whatever group is affected, we have to go to them and ask them how they want to handle things. You can’t just send the police in because that may exasperate things. The community may feel not only are we being subjected to hate, but we’re also being overrun by the police, who also have a history of harming our community. So, we check first and hold open lines of communication with marginalized communities to catch these things before they get out of hand.
图片来自竞选活动
Photo Credit to Campaign events
不管富裕还是贫困，所有学校的资金和教学质量都应平等
We have wealthy and impoverished neighborhoods, and all schools should be the same regarding funding and quality of education.
Q: You said you wanted to open the school board to at least some elected positions if your goal is to protect children and improve their education. Is that a smart thing?欧大卫：我的观点是，不管是谁当市长，无论是我、肯尼还是帕克，我们都将任命我们认为可以胜任的人来管理费城学区。但费城学区一直以来都是一个失败的例子，尤其在对孩子们的教育上很失败。
A: My point is no matter who’s Mayor, whether it’s me, Kenney, or Parker, we’re going to appoint people we think should be there, but the School District has been and is a proven failure for our kids.市长一直在自己挑选学区委员会的成员，但从来没有出现出一个真正出色的学区委员会。我们没有一个完全民选产生的学区委员会，因为费城市和宾州不愿意把税收权下放给学区委员会，我们只能采取混合制，打破权力壁垒，赢得选民们的支持。
Mayors have been selecting School Board members, but you’ve never really had a school board where people have thought you know they’re doing a bang-up job. So look, the politics are already there; I’m saying let’s get more accountability there. We’re not going to get a fully elected school board because the City and the State don’t want to give them taxing power, so let’s do a hybrid system. We have to break through the power dynamic to get people behind us.
图片来自费城市议会Photo Credit to City Council
记者：您将如何保护费城的学生免受一些不良政策的影响？
Q: How will you protect Philadelphia students from the harmful policies of groups like these?欧大卫：这归结为问责制和增加政府透明度的问题，我们必须让学区委员会对他们代表的社区更加负责。
A: It comes down to accountability and transparency; we have to make the school board more responsive to the communities they represent.记者：您经常说要改善学校的基础设施，但我没有听到您谈过如何改善孩子的心理健康，或者如何让低收入或工薪家庭的孩子们获得补习或课后辅导。能从这两个方面谈谈吗？
Q: You talk a lot about improving infrastructure in our schools, but I don’t hear you talking about enhancing kids’ mental health or making accessible things like tutoring or aftercare for poor working-class families. How would you get kids the extra mental health care and tutoring they need to develop into their best selves?欧大卫：我将推行在全球范围的实践中，最优质的公立教育。有些事情是看得见摸得着的，比如透明度。学区有多少钱，多少钱最终流入了教室，在西南费城、日耳曼镇、北费城和东北费城，花在学校上的支出有何不同？大家应该是平等的。
A: I take the position of global best practices in delivering a good quality education. Well, some things are just obvious, like transparency. How much money does the school district have, and how much of it ends up in the classroom? What is the difference in spending for a classroom in SW Philly, Germantown, North Philly, and Northeast Philly because they’re not supposed to be different? They’re supposed to be the same.当人们谈论宾州的教育支出不平等时，可以把下梅里恩学区（ Lower Merion）与费城做一个比较。或者我们只看费城。不管下梅里恩，因为那只是一个小小的，富人扎堆的学区。看看我们的城市吧，我们有富裕和贫困的社区，所有学校的资金和教学质量都应该是均衡和平等的。
When people talk about how unfair education spending is in Pennsylvania… look at Lower Merion compared to Philadelphia; no, just look at Philadelphia. You don’t have to look at Lower Merion. That’s just a little tiny school district with a bunch of rich people. Look at our city; we have wealthy and impoverished neighborhoods, and all schools should be the same regarding funding and quality of education.
每个社区都要打破固有观念，自己挣钱自己花。
Each community needs to break out of the box and learn to pull their own money.
Q: I also don’t hear you talking about things like food or housing insecurity, which also impact student performance in the classroom. How would you address the issues that aren’t directly related to the district but have a huge impact?欧大卫：在这点上，我和你的看法不同。我认为在这些有问题的社区，更大的问题是思维方式的问题。大家有一种惯性思维，总是希望政府为他们做事情，比如提供心理保健、住房、食物等等。这不是政府的职责，政府也管不过来。大家干等着，是没有用的。
A: I have a very different perspective from you, and I think our problem in these neighborhoods is a mentality problem. People are trapped in a box; they want the Government to do things for them, like provide mental healthcare, housing, food, etc. The Government can’t do that; it’s never been able to do that, but people keep waiting for it, and it will never happen.每个社区都需要打破这个固有的想法，学会团结起来，自己挣钱自己花。
Each of these communities needs to break out of this box and learn to come together and pull their money, and right now, people can’t do that because they’re trapped in this box.大家以前没有复印机和电脑，或者不能用手机上网，现在这种事情可以在图书馆内完成。这是一种社区资源。在图书馆内外都是宁静的，即使小混混也不能喧哗。大家在学习、阅读，需要保持安静。如果某些人不能保持安静，他们会被赶出去。图书馆中有纪律，对于孩子们，特别是那些来自破碎家庭和贫困社区的孩子们来说，遵守纪律尤为重要。
People didn’t have copiers, computers, or cell phones to get on the Internet; people used the library for all these things. It was a community resource. It was peaceful in and around the library, even the gang kids. They were studying, reading, doing what they needed to do. People were quiet. If they weren’t, they were removed. There was discipline in the library, which is critically important for children, especially kids from broken homes and rough communities.所以当图书馆向市议会申请，从市政府拨款200万美元，但是不再向贫困社区内偷窃书籍的人收取罚款时，我反对了这一提议。因为我觉得这非常不接地气，这个方法可能适用于富裕的白人社区。你在对这些孩子们大发善心的同时，剥夺的恰恰是这些社区用于学习的资源和工具。
So when the library came to the City Council and said we need two million dollars from the City, we’re not going to charge fines for lost or stolen books in these poorer communities anymore. I opposed it. Because I felt it was very out of touch, it was a white suburban thing, you’re giving these kids charity, but you’re taking away a fundamental tool in these communities for learning credit, you’re also telling me you have no plan for these libraries that are vital resources for the community in these neighborhoods. This is a shared public resource. If you’re rich, you don’t care. You can buy a book, throw it away, it doesn’t matter, but if you’re poor, you need those books, those resources the library has. It is a shared public resource, so you appreciate it; you appreciate the park, swings, and basketball court. You’re not going to graffiti up the place; you’re not going to punch a hole in that basketball everyone is using; cut down the net. There is a sense of community-mindedness that I think is invaluable.公共资源是为所有人服务的。至关重要的是，当你对待这些破碎的家庭时，你要通过你的文化中的社会视角，你的种族，在你所属的贫困社区中弥补不足。
It’s for all of us. It’s crucial that when you have all these broken families, you make up for it through a societal perspective within your culture, your race within your impoverished community.
If I were Mayor, I would turn that system into a system of credit where you could take out a violin, an electric guitar, a laptop computer, scientific equipment, and even a gaming console. What if we coordinated with the schools, and if you got good marks on that math test or at the end of the semester, we set it so you could keep that gaming console longer?学校是一个关键。现在学区和学校正在向这些社区大声宣告，我们不关心这些贫困的学区。所以我们要撼动这个学区架构，在必要时拆除和重建，因为我知道这个城市有多腐败。我们必须走出市政厅、学区和贫困社区停滞不前的困境。我们必须把大家从被固有套路中解救出来。
Schools are a critical issue; right now, they are shouting to these communities that we don’t care about them. So my campaign is about shaking things up, tearing them down if necessary to build them back up because I understand how corrupt this city is. We have to shake off the stagnation in City Hall, the School district, and these communities. We gotta shake them out of the box they’ve been pushed into.
