美国国家公共电台 NPR--Black Buffalo community is tired of hearing promises when the killings don't stop

Black Buffalo¹ community is tired of hearing promises when the killings⁴ don't stop

Transcript⁵

The Buffalo neighborhood that was attacked by a white supremacist has struggled for years with violence and poverty. Calls by politicians for the community to come together were met with skepticism.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The investigation⁶ is underway. The vigils have begun - also, the cries for justice. We mark another mass shooting in America, this one motivated by racism⁷. Ten people are dead after the alleged⁸ shooter opened fire at a grocery store Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y. The grief has intensified⁹ as the names of the victims have been released to the public. NPR's Quil Lawrence joins us now from Buffalo.

Quil, just start by telling us about the state of the investigation right now.

QUIL LAWRENCE, BYLINE¹⁰: The latest information was that the 18-year-old suspect had actually been in state police custody¹¹ last year in his hometown after making a general threat at his high school. He was given a mental health evaluation¹² and wasn't deemed to be dangerous. Of course, he's now in custody. He's on suicide watch because he did briefly¹³ point the gun at his own chin during the shootout with police - when he surrendered to police. And he's being kept apart from other prisoners.

MARTIN: You have visited the scene of the murders outside that Tops grocery store. You put together a story about what you heard from people there in that community as they came together. Let's listen to that.

TIM BROWN: The only one we can lean on is God...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Amen.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Yes.

BROWN: ...Because in a few days, all these cameras will leave.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Yup. That's reality.

BROWN: And it'll just be us.

LAWRENCE: That's Pastor¹⁴ Tim Brown speaking at a crowded interfaith vigil on the corner of Jefferson Avenue outside the Tops supermarket.

BROWN: Nobody will remember that ten people lost their lives...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: Yes.

BROWN: ...Except for those families...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: That's here.

BROWN: ...That are still here.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Yup. Come on.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: That's right - what's up.

BROWN: This community has been devastated¹⁵ by economic depression.

LAWRENCE: Brown's talking about this neighborhood on the east side of Main Street. That's where 85% of Black people in Buffalo live. And he spoke¹⁶ about the alleged shooter.

BROWN: And now on a terrorist attack...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yes.

BROWN: ...On our community. And what we need now is unity².

(APPALUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #6: Talk about it. Talk about it.

BROWN: The indoctrination of a boy...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #7: Yeah. Yes.

BROWN: ...To kill people that don't look like him is only because somebody is having a conversation...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #7: Yes. Yeah.

BROWN: ...That divides our people.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #8: That's right.

BROWN: ...As a race and as humanity.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #8: Yes. Right.

LAWRENCE: Reverend Denise Walden is a community organizer who calls for prayer and action.

DENISE WALDEN: God, I ask for a mighty¹⁷ move in your people, oh, God, because the one thing I know for sure is faith without works is dead.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #9: Come on.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #10: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #9: Yes. Say it. Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #10: Yes.

WALDEN: Put a work in our hearts...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #9: Yes.

WALDEN: ...Father God.

LAWRENCE: Jewish and Muslim faith leaders also spoke to the diverse crowd, where people listened and shouted encouragement and broke into song.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) Amazing Grace, how sweet...

LAWRENCE: But that feeling of unity fractured briefly when it came to politicians from out of town.

LETITIA JAMES: Buffalo, I wanted to come here today, one, because I know that you're in pain.

LAWRENCE: New York Attorney General Letitia James started speaking but was shouted down.

MYLES CARTER: Letitia James, have they prosecuted¹⁹ the police that were hurting our people?

JAMES: There's a lot of pain in this neighborhood.

CARTER: She hasn't said it for Buffalo, so (inaudible).

LAWRENCE: The crowd was divided, many calling to let their guests speak. James is a leading Black voice in New York. But others seemed tired of hearing promises when the killings don't stop. The man who interrupted her, Myles Carter, lives just one street over. He was at a community meeting when the shooting happened and people started finding out who had died.

CARTER: You know, I've heard a mother cry before when she loses a child. But it's not something that I've ever had to hear over and over and over and over again in one day. And it just - it really just got, like, deep into my soul.

LAWRENCE: He said he's been traumatized by this but also by police violence against his community.

CARTER: They kill us in the jails. The police kill us on the streets. They don't prosecute¹⁸ people that kill us on the streets either. And that's part of the problem, is, like, you know, they bring Letitia James here, and she's a sister. And I'm not trying to come at her in any other way. But she could make a difference by prosecuting²⁰ these police officers that are killing³ Black people in the streets. And that would make a sign that it's not OK to kill Black people.

LAWRENCE: Carter says he's got five kids. He says he's afraid to be raising them here in Buffalo and in America.

MARTIN: Quil, you're still with us. It's really interesting to hear that criticism of Letitia James. New York's governor, Kathy Hochul, was also in Buffalo yesterday, right? What was her message?

LAWRENCE: Yeah. She was there along with Letitia James. And they spoke at a press conference in the firehouse near the scene. She's actually from Buffalo. And she was talking about - that knowing this specific neighborhood and how much it relies on that Tops supermarket, that the neighborhood's a food desert otherwise. And it will definitely need help in the short term. And in the long term, she said she'll keep fighting to tighten²¹ gun laws not just in New York, but in surrounding states, where she says some of these military-style weapons are legal and easily trafficked across the border. She also said that she's hoping the U.S. Supreme²² Court will help New York uphold its gun laws, that the court is considering a challenge to New York's strict concealed²³ weapons law. And - but she said she'll keep fighting on that. She's hoping to hear from across the aisle²⁴ for some - from - some bipartisan assistance on that. But she said as of yesterday, she hadn't heard anything yet.

MARTIN: A familiar pattern, to be sure. NPR's Quil Lawrence reporting from Buffalo. Thank you.

LAWRENCE: Thanks, Rachel.

1 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 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。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

12 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

13 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

14 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

15 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

16 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

17 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

18 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

19 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

20 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。

21 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

22 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

23 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

24 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。