 This is south central liquor stores fast food vacant lots So the city planners get together and they figure that they're gonna change the name south central to make it represent something else So they change it to south Los Angeles Like this is gonna change what's really going wrong in the city. This is south Los Angeles liquor stores fast food vacant lots I Live in a food desert South central Los Angeles Home of the drive-thru and the drive-by Little has changed since the uprising of 1965 and the uprising of 92 The one thing that has changed In that 47 years is disease People were dying from curable diseases in south central Los Angeles And this is why This is a store to just open Maybe three weeks ago. It's right down the street for me And this is right across the street from the school and this is what they serve in this store So if you're if you're a child Right now and you're born in south central you have a one and two chances that you were going to be you're gonna get a curable illness like diabetes and The obesity is just off the chart This is where you're gonna wind up These are sprouting up around the neighborhoods with you know, even though the vacant lot is right next to it People were losing their limbs behind these curable diseases You have streets where they have used wheelchairs lined up like used cars This has to stop. So what I did I Got tired of living in a food desert. So I figured I'd plant a food for us in front of my house This this is a parking strip. It's like right before you get to the street, you know, the dirt's like 150 feet. So I figured You know, it's it's owned by the city, but you have to maintain it So I figured I can do whatever the hell I want with it. You know since You know since since I'm it's in front of my house so So what this what this did we you know, we got rid of the grass and just start planning healthy Fresh vegetables and like people how how you do that? How you do that? I'm like, well first of all you get a shovel then you get some You get some good-ass soil You know and you put stuff in it and you water it, you know, and that this is what happens So this this resonated throughout the community And and it was it was like an inspiration to people, you know to see this It was like it was a freak show or something They had turned down the street and they see 15-foot sunflowers and it's like what the hell is it? So, you know, and I had people that that would come You know and pick the stuff and people are you aren't you worried about it? Somebody's stealing all your food and I'm like, no, that's why it's on the street. I want them to take it I want them to experience this. I want people to take back their health in the community You know, I want I want them to be empowered, you know, stop waiting for people to do other stuff for them So, you know people would come by and it was like it was like I would preach the gospel of the garden You know and it was like it was like I was doing the garden's wheel You know, I'd see people in the supermarkets and you know with a little kid And if they had frozen carrots in their basket, I was like, don't you do you have a garden? Do you want one? You know we we can put a garden in your house for free because I started an organization and that's what we did We put gardens in homes in South Central for free. It's like a pay it forward kind of thing but So I was an inspiration, you know to a lot of my garden was to a lot of the neighbors and the beauty and people go Out of their way just to see it, you know, they would I walk I drive down the street just so I could see every day It's amazing what a sunflower would do. I start giving food to to people that I'd see them admiring What was happening in the garden? And I had people travel in from other cities just to see it We actually did a petition on change.org Because the city came down on me because somebody complained and they wanted me to take it out with only 900 signatures. I was a success they I had to take it off of the site because the city backed off and so What what what happened there is we figured out a way to pay this forward, you know This organization that we started we are we're also partnering with some with some kids in their neighborhood to change What's happening in the city in the area and show these kids how to grow food How to gourmet cook food and just change this this whole school to prison paradigm that we're dealing with in my community And it's and it's all by design So what I would like you guys to do is Basically when you leave here Just plant some shit You know Get a shovel Get some You know get a shovel and just get gangster with it You know become a renegade You know and then maybe you should call city hall and tell them Well, you know, maybe ron finley and his garden You know aren't a problem maybe they're An opportunity and a solution To what's happening in this city that your simple name change is not going to ever do