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"I'm half Lebanese, half Italian, and 100 percent Detroit stubborn," George told nationswell.com.
喬治告訴nationswell網站，“我一半是黎巴嫩人，一半是意大利人，百分之百是底特律人。”
"Once we get something in our heart and in our head, it's almost autopilot."
“一旦我們的心中和腦子里有了什么想法，這個想法基本上就會實現。”
But that was only the beginning. In 2003, George also breathed life into a dilapidated square mile of Detroit by turning it into Artist Village,
但是這只是一個開始。2003年，喬治還把底特律一平方英里破舊的土地變成了藝術家村，給它注入了生機，
an area now filled with galleries, a performance space, community gardens, a coffee shop, and outdoor courtyards.
現在這里是一個充滿了畫廊、穿孔空間、社區花園、咖啡館和戶外庭院的區域。
Because this region of North Detroit was a food desert, George also persuaded a supermarket chain to move into the neighborhood.
因為底特律北部的這個地區是食物荒漠，所以喬治還說服了一家連鎖超市搬到附近。
"Blight is like a cancer: If you don't set upon it, it will spread," George told thehubdetroit.com.
喬治告訴thehubdetroit網站，“城市萎縮就像癌癥：如果你不攻擊它，它就會擴散。”
And then there's Halloween. In Detroit, October 30 was ruefully known as Devil's Night, a period when all hell would break loose in the form of crime and vandalism.
還有萬圣節。在底特律，人們把10月30日悲傷地稱為“魔鬼之夜”，在這段時間里，所有的黑暗勢力都會以犯罪和破壞公物的形式爆發。
In response, George created a citizens' patrol that would take to the streets, keeping an eye on suspicious behavior.
作為回應，喬治創建了一個市民巡邏隊，可以上街巡邏，監視可疑行為。
He dubbed it Angels' Night. What began with 12 neighbors on patrol in 1990 has grown to more than 60,000 citywide.
他稱之為天使之夜。1990年開始時有12名鄰居巡邏，現在全市已有6萬多人巡邏。
George's inspired ideas have not gone unnoticed by the city he loves.
喬治的靈感并沒有被他所熱愛的城市所忽視。
"John wants to show that there is still something to Detroit. That it's still worth it," says real estate agent Robert LaBute.
房地產經紀人羅伯特·拉布特說，“約翰想向世人展示，底特律仍然有它的魅力。它現在仍然是值得的。
And others are buying into it. "We're seeing the trend of younger homeowners coming in."
其他人也在買入房產。“我們看到越來越多的年輕房主加入進來。”
Is George proud of having boosted his once-ailing hometown? You'd better believe he is.
喬治是否為振興了他一度陷入困境的家鄉而感到自豪?你最好相信他是。
As he puts it: "We are on the front porch of the greatest urban comeback story in this nation's history."
正如他所說的：“我們正站在這個國家歷史上最偉大的城市復興故事的前廊上。”
