美国国家公共电台 NPR--GOP candidate for New York governor uses crime wave to hammer incumbent Hochul

GOP candidate for New York governor uses crime wave to hammer incumbent¹ Hochul

Transcript²

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is in a close race against challenger Lee Zeldin, a GOP congressman³ who says criminal justice reforms have caused a crime emergency in the state.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Republicans are running strong in many places as we near election time, and that includes the blue state of New York, where the Democratic governor faces an unexpectedly close race for reelection. The challenger is attacking Democrats⁴ over crime. NPR law enforcement correspondent Martin Kaste reports.

MARTIN KASTE, BYLINE⁵: The latest viral video to put New Yorkers on edge is from last Friday. It shows a commuter⁶ getting tackled out of the blue and shoved under the tracks of the L train.

PETER KERRE: That was just two stops from here.

KASTE: Peter Kerre is outside a nearby subway station in Bushwick. He recalls another violent crime here two years ago, a woman who was severely⁷ beaten by a stranger.

KERRE: I just said, you know what? Enough is enough. I just jumped on this bike of mine, and I rode down here, and I decided⁸ that, you know what? I'm - you know, I'll be a presence here at this, you know, station.

KASTE: He started a group of volunteers called SafeWalks to escort people home. He assumed it would be a temporary thing, just for the dark days of the pandemic. Instead, he says, the demand for the service has grown.

KERRE: When we ask folks, they're still terrified. They're still scared. There's still lots of incidents happening, which is sad. It's an unfortunate thing because ideally, you know, this should be something that should have only lasted, like, maybe two or three months.

KASTE: Fear of crime has persisted in New York even as the pandemic fades. And in this state, there's another potential factor. Right before COVID, New York reformed its bail⁹ system, which means a lot fewer people go to jail now before trial. At the time, Democrats celebrated¹⁰ the reform. Three years on, Republicans are blaming it.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING)

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Chanting) Zeldin, Zeldin, Zeldin.

KASTE: Here's Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin accepting the endorsement¹¹ of the corrections officers union outside Rikers Island jail earlier this week.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LEE ZELDIN: We want boldness. We want courage. And that means that on Day 1, we will declare a crime emergency in the state of New York.

KASTE: Zeldin is promising¹² to suspend bail reform and other recent reforms meant to reduce the number of people in jail. Republicans say when some of those people are released, they re-offend. But Democrats say the percentages are very low and it's unjust to keep people locked up before trial just because they can't afford bail. Tiffany Caban is a New York City councilmember and former public defender¹³ who advocates for less incarceration¹⁴.

TIFFANY CABAN: For a long time, Black and brown communities have been harmed by the policies and laws connected to our criminal legal system. And this is us trying to right some wrongs. And we've done it in a way that has not had an effect on public safety. And that's what all the data and the research shows.

KASTE: But everyone doesn't agree about what the numbers show. To get an opposite view of reality, just go to the Queens neighborhood of Rafael Mangual. He researches policing and public safety for the conservative Manhattan Institute. He's convinced that recent laws to reduce incarceration have undermined public order in New York.

RAFAEL MANGUAL: I think that the criminal offending population has taken note, and I think that New Yorkers are noticing that, just by virtue¹⁵ of that general deterioration¹⁶ in order - people taking over streets now to hold little car events where they're doing doughnuts in a circle, literally¹⁷ stopping traffic in America's most major city as if they are the police.

KASTE: The complicated truth is that there have been so many social variables in the last few years - closed schools, disrupted work, political upheaval¹⁸ - that no one can really prove that one thing made crime go up. What is clear, though, is the public's concern, acknowledged last night during the gubernatorial debate by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KATHY HOCHUL: Now, I understand the fear. I walk the streets of New York City every day. I've taken the subways. This fear is real. There's facts that talk about statistics which make a different case. But I'm also dealing¹⁹ with real human beings.

KASTE: And that fear has allowed Zeldin to make this a competitive race, which opens up the possibility that the next governor of New York could be a pro-Trump Republican.

Martin Kaste, NPR News, New York.

1 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

7 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

10 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

11 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

12 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

13 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

14 incarceration   

n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭

参考例句：

• He hadn't changed much in his nearly three years of incarceration. 在将近三年的监狱生活中，他变化不大。 来自辞典例句
• Please, please set it free before it bursts from its long incarceration! 请你，请你将这颗心释放出来吧！否则它会因长期的禁闭而爆裂。 来自辞典例句

15 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

16 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

17 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

18 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

19 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。