-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
There's no way to prepare for the Tyre Nichols video, a Memphis pastor1 says
Outrage3 is building over the case of Tyre Nichols, who died three days after Memphis police officers beat him during a traffic stop earlier this month.
The five officers, all of whom — like Nichols — are Black, have been fired as well as charged with second-degree murder, aggravated4 assault and aggravated kidnapping. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy has said "they are all responsible" for the death of the 29-year-old.
City officials plan to release body camera footage of the incident Friday night, and are bracing5 for protests to follow.
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis has said she expects people will be outraged6 by "the disregard of basic human rights" and moved to protest, but asked that they do so without inciting7 violence or destruction.
Pastor Earle Fisher, a police reform advocate and the pastor at Abyssinian Missionary8 Baptist Church in Memphis, said he doesn't think there's anything local leaders can do to prepare the community for what they might see.
"I think I'm just prayerful that cooler heads will prevail and a lot of God's will will be done," he says. "And I know I've seen far too much Black death as a spectacle, and I'm not excited about trying to view another video of a Black man being killed by law enforcement."
Fisher spoke9 with Morning Edition's A Martínez about Nichols' case, including what concerns him most and how he finds hope.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
On the significance of the officers being charged before the video's public release
I was with a group of clergy10. We had a meeting with [the district attorney.] And I think collectively we felt like that was a better sequence of events. I think most of the time when there are significant and substantial uprisings, it is the byproduct of delayed or denied justice. And this is not to suggest that somehow we are at a state of justice right now. I think these officers being charged is just step one. And true justice would mean that Tyre Nichols will still be [with] us.
On the idea that diversifying11 police forces could curb12 police brutality13
I think that attorney [Ben] Crump is spot on, and others who have said: When you look at this it's not ever really about the demographics or the ethnicity and the racial makeup14 of the officer, it's about the demographics, the ethnicity and the racial makeup of the person who is being policed. And when it's been Black people, it doesn't matter whether the officers are white or Black, we are still prone15 to disproportionate and egregious16 brutality.
On why city officials bear some responsibility too
So for instance, they launched this "Scorpion17 unit" — which is the specialized18 unit that all of these officers were involved in — in the fall of 2021. And in less than a year and a half, you already have one dead body, and we don't know if there's others out there, because I don't think anybody would suggest that this was these officers' first dance at the rodeo. And having all of them all be employed within the last five years, that suggests to me that somebody should have been responsible for their supervision19 and oversight20. I'm clear that they didn't have the level of autonomy and independence to do something as heinous21 as this. So I'd like to see people press the mayor and the police chief a little bit more on how things got to this level.
On whether national media presence is stoking anxieties in Memphis
Yeah, I think there's definitely the potential. But at the same time, I understand the need for people wanting to be at the forefront of, you know, breaking news and the story ... and this is definitely a significant and substantial development. And again, not just insofar as things are here on the ground in Memphis, but as people are bracing themselves for protests all around the country. As was the case with George Floyd, I think, that ultimately helped us advance some of the conversation and some of the initiatives — even though we still haven't passed the George Floyd Act. But this does provide us an opportunity to advance the conversation in ways that I think are helpful.
On what gives him hope in a dark time
I always find hope in the courage, the creativity and the consciousness of everyday people and citizens who are showing tremendous poise22 and passion and protesting and other community efforts. ... Through some of the political organizing and voter advocacy work of groups like the UpTheVote901 ... we've been able to impact this past election, where we now have a much more progressive district attorney.
I am pretty confident that if the previous district attorney was still in office, we would not be having the conversation that we're having right now, because there were several police-involved shootings in her tenure23 and there was not one indictment24. And so there are things that I do find hope in, but I'm not sure that my hope is built in a system and a structure that needs so much substantial reform and change. And there are so many people who are in positions of leadership that seem resistant25 to that change.
收听单词发音 |
1
pastor
|
|
| n.牧师，牧人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
transcript
|
|
| n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
outrage
|
|
| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
aggravated
|
|
| 使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
bracing
|
|
| adj.令人振奋的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
outraged
|
|
| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
inciting
|
|
| 刺激的，煽动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
missionary
|
|
| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
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： |
|
|
|
|
10
clergy
|
|
| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
diversifying
|
|
| v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的现在分词 )；进入新的商业领域 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
curb
|
|
| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
brutality
|
|
| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
makeup
|
|
| n.组织；性格；化装品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
prone
|
|
| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
egregious
|
|
| adj.非常的，过分的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
scorpion
|
|
| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
specialized
|
|
| adj.专门的，专业化的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
supervision
|
|
| n.监督，管理 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
oversight
|
|
| n.勘漏，失察，疏忽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
heinous
|
|
| adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
poise
|
|
| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
tenure
|
|
| n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
indictment
|
|
| n.起诉；诉状 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
resistant
|
|
| adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
购买
在百度中搜索