唐人街的另一面 中國移民一家4口蝸居4平米房間

High Rents and Low Wages Trap ChineseImmigrants in SROs

遊客看不到的另一半唐人街，中國移民一家4口蝸居在4平米房間

Ming Dang lives in a 7 by 7 foot room in San Francisco'sChinatown with her husband, teenage son and daughter. (Melanie Young/KALW)

明黨（音譯）和她的丈夫，帶着十幾歲的兒子和女兒住在舊金山唐人街的一個7英尺長，7英尺寬的房間裏。

Editor's Note: Thisstory originally aired on KALW-FM. Listen to the story here.

編者按：該故事最初在KALW-FM播出。下面請聽：

Tenants are facing a tough time in San Francisco. The cityhas some of the nation’s highest rents and laws like the Ellis Act have madeevictions front page news. But there are pockets of affordability, like in Chinatown, where the average rent is one third as much asin other neighborhoods.

舊金山的房客正面臨艱難時期。該市有些房租爲全國最高，而且諸如埃利斯法案之類的法規同意驅逐房客已成爲頭條新聞。但還是有考慮到支付能力的地區，像在唐人街這些地方，平均房租只有周邊地區的三分之一。

But the neighborhood is also one of thecountry’s most overcrowded and tenants claim that landlords violate health andsafety codes.

該社區也是美國最擁擠的地區之一，二期據房客們聲稱房東違反了健康安全法規。

In response to rising rents and shoddy housing,a group of low-income, mostly elderly Chinatownrenters have crossed language and cultural barriers to change to theirneighborhood.

應不斷上漲的房價和劣質住房，一羣主要由唐人街老年人組成的低收入者跨越了語言和文化障礙，組成一隊正努力改變他們的街區面貌。

Small rooms, cheap rents

房子小，租金少

Constant stress over money combined with livingin a cramped space, literally on top of each other, lead to a lot ofconflict. As she opens up about her family, Lee starts to cry. “Whenmy husband gets back from work he’s tired. He yells at my son to get off thestool and sit on the bed instead. I am so sorry. I wish I could helpearn enough to move.”

缺錢再加上居住在一個狹窄的空間裏，毫不誇張地說就是疊在彼此身上，這樣的情形有着源源不斷的壓力，也會招致很多衝突。當李女士敞開心扉，談及自己的家庭時，她哭着說“我丈夫下班之後回到家時，他已經很累了，便會吼兒子，讓他去牀上坐，把凳子讓出來。對此我很遺憾，我多希望我能多掙點錢好搬出去住。”

Years ago, when immigrants arrived in Chinatown, they’d live in an SRO for a while, save up,then move to a bigger place. But soaring rents and low wages block that pathnow, even for more seasoned immigrants.

多年以前，當移民們到達唐人街之後，他們便會在單間租房裏小住一段時間，當他們攢到錢後，便會搬到大點的地方住。但如今，一路飆升的租金加上微薄的薪水，即使是已移民多年的人，這條路也行不通了。

Wanting a way out

尋求出路

Lee Ping Yee (no relation to Lee Ming Dang)moved to the USin 2004. She’s lived in her SRO for 5 years.

2004年，李萍葉（音譯）（與李明黨沒有關係）移民到美國，她在單間租房裏已居住5年之久。

Her daughter’s friends are visiting, leaving Leewith no place to sit. Instead she leans on the doorway of her unit saying helloas neighbors walk by. As we speak, the lights suddenly go out.

當她女兒的朋友來訪時，李萍葉就沒地方可坐了。她只好靠在單元樓門口，在鄰居路過時，打個招呼。當我們在進行訪談的時候，路燈突然熄滅了。

“There’s always power shortages.” Lee says. “Ihave to wait for the neighbors finish cooking. Then I can have power to cook mydinner.”

“總是電力不足”李女士說“我必須得等到鄰里們全部做完飯後，我纔有電做晚飯。”

With no electricity and no place to sit, LeePing Yee paces the hall in frustration. She wantsout. She’s been in the US for 10 years, and she feelsstuck.

沒電，沒地方坐，李萍葉在走廊裏踱步徘徊，十分沮喪。她想擺脫這種狀況。她來美國已經10年了，而這讓她感到心力交瘁。

“I not enough money to buy house.” Lee says it’seven harder with children, “support them and you know, grow up my daughter, youneed money. Always call mommy, I need money buy food. Ah, it’shard.”

“我沒錢買房子”李萍葉表示，自己甚至感到養育孩子都異常艱難，“你知道的，要供養孩子，把女兒養大，需要錢。女兒常說，媽媽，我需要錢買吃的。啊，沒錢真難過。”

Fighting for change

力圖改變

Like many in Chinatown,both Lee’s are immigrants with limited english, limited incomes, and limitedprospects. They are not, however, powerless. The women are members of theCommunity Tenants Association or CTA.

像許多唐人街的華人一樣，兩家李姓移民英語水平，收入及發展前景都很有限。然而，她們並不是沒有能力。兩位女士都是社區租戶協會（CAT）的會員。

The CTA was founded 26 years ago when one Chinatown building’s tenants got together to fight aneviction. When they won their case they decided to share what they’d learnedwith other residents. Since then they’ve seen each other through rentalproblems and weighed in on San Francisco’s housing policies.

26年前，唐人街一棟出租樓的租戶們齊心協力抵抗房東驅趕租客時，成立了社區租戶協會。勝訴後，他們決定把學到的東西分享給其他租戶。此後，租戶們通過租賃問題相互聯繫拜訪，並且還曾參加過舊金山住房政策比賽。

Neighborhood resident Leung Wing Ho says CTAsaved his home. “I had just retired when I was evicted from my apartment. I wasreally worried because I was old and only had my retirement income.”

社區居民Leung Wing Ho表示社區租戶協會保住了他的家。“當我被房東趕出來時，我正好退休。我當時真的很擔心，因爲我老了，唯一的收入就是退休金了”

Leung and his neighbors turned to CTA for pulled together other housing rights groups and elected officials tosupport the tenants. “We held rallies in front of the building with hundreds ofpeople,” Leung recalls. “At a mediation conference the landlord rescinded theeviction notice.”

Leung和他的鄰居們便向社區租戶協會求助。他們聯合其他住房維權組織，並選舉出相關領導以支援租客。“我們一百多人團結起來，圍在出租樓的前面”Leung 回憶道“經過調停會議之後，房東取消了驅逐令。”

That was six years ago. Today, Leung is CTA’spresident.

那是六年前的事情了。現在，Leung已經當上社區租戶協會的主席。

That unaffordability is especially stark in Chinatown. The average household income here is only onequarter what it is the rest of San Francisco’s. Despite that inequity, rents are on therise.

這種負擔不起的現象在唐人街尤其明顯。這裏的家庭平均收入只有舊金山其他地區收入的四分之一，儘管收入不公平，但租金還是一樣在漲。

Striking a chord outside of Chinatown

唐人街附近的驚心動魄

CTA member Lee Gum Gee rented an apartment onthe border of Chinatown and NobHill for 34 years. When a new landlord invoked the Ellis Act to evict all theresidents, Lee decided to fight.

社區租戶協會會員李金枝（音譯）在唐人街和諾布山交界處的租房內住了34年。當新房東援用艾利斯法案驅趕所有的租戶時，李金枝（音譯）決定奮起反抗。

Chinatown Community Development Corporation’sNorman Fong says it wasn’t just her neighbors who rallied behindher.

唐人街社區發展公司的董事Norman Fong表示，團結在她背後的，不僅僅只有她的鄰居。

“I think because she was saying I’m not moving,I’m not leaving my daughter here who is mentally challenged. This is my home. Ideserve to have a life here in San Francisco,” Fong says. “Somehow her story resonatedwith hundreds of others.”

“我認爲，因爲她說我不走，我不會帶着我智障的女兒離開這裏。這是我的家。在舊金山生活是我應得的，”Fong說“不知何故，她的故事激起了成千上萬人的共鳴”

“On the day of her eviction, CTA were there butcitywide people came from all over.”

“她被驅逐出租房的那天，不僅社區租戶協會的成員們到了，來自全市各地的人也來了”

Dozens of elderly Chinese tenants from CTAstationed themselves in front of the apartment-- holding signs and showingsupport.

來自社區租戶協會的數十位上了年紀的中國租客在公寓樓前駐紮下來，舉起標牌表示支持。

Lee and her family eventually had to leave theapartment but Norman Fong says the case drew public attention and helped spuraction at City Hall and Sacramento.

李和她的家人最終不得不搬出出租房，但Norman Fong說，這件事引起了公衆注意，有利於刺激市政廳和薩克拉門託採取應對措施。

“This little Chinatown case” Fong says,“with CTA backup, citywide and statewide policies are changing now to helpprotect all San Franciscoso there are homes for middle class folks that are at risk for Ellis act aswell.”

“這件看似很小的唐人街事件”Fong解釋道，“在社區租戶協會的支持下，導致全市乃至全州的政策都要做出變化，以保護舊金山所有的人。也就是說因埃利斯法案遭受風險了的中產階級民衆也會受到保護”

“We’ve turned fear into action. That’s what CTArepresents to me. They’re fearless.”

“我們已經將恐懼轉變成了行動。這就是社區租戶協會對我的意義。我們的成員無所畏懼”

Every Wednesday CTA members meet for workshops,share news updates, and socialize. They launch each session with asing-a-long> CTA president Leung Wing Ho says it helps bringthem together.

社區租戶協會會員每週三都會聚在一起開會，分享最新信息，探討如何適應社會生活。社區租戶協會主席Leung Wing Ho說，每次開會都會先唱一首歌，這有助於使他們團結起來。

“Singing makes us happy, gives us courage andthe spirit to fight for our causes,” Leung says.

“唱歌使我們感到快樂，還給我們帶來勇氣，幫我們樹立爲生活而奮鬥的精神。”Leung說道。

And that fighting spirit is spreading. Onehundred new members join CTA every year.

這種奮鬥精神還在傳播中。每年約有100名新會員加入社區租戶協會。