Columbus residents are divided over Black History Month-themed police cruiser

Columbus residents are divided over Black History Month-themed police cruiser

Transcript¹

Police in Columbus, Ohio, rolled out a specially² decorated cruiser for Black History Month. A backlash soon followed.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Columbus, Ohio's Division of Police decided³ to celebrate Black History Month by rolling out a specially decorated police cruiser. It's called History 1 and was announced with a video online. A backlash soon followed. Leticia Wiggins reports.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR: I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

LETICIA WIGGINS, BYLINE⁴: The video post opens with the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King and a community mural with the words freedom and equality. The frame cuts to the flashing lights of a police cruiser. Black History Month is emblazoned on the hood⁵ and a quote on the side that scholars say is wrongly attributed to Dr. King - be the peace you wish to see in the world. Artist and community member Lance Johnson was stunned⁶ when he saw the post.

LANCE JOHNSON: I was just confused. In my mind, I'm like, who would sign off on this?

WIGGINS: Johnson painted the mural featured in the video announcement, but was confused by the selective use of the art, which did not include the portraits of people killed.

JOHNSON: It's a mural that is, one, celebrating the legacy⁷ of Martin Luther King, but also recognizing people who were killed by police brutality⁸.

WIGGINS: According to policescorecard.org, Columbus police have killed 48 people from 2013 to 2021. Of the people killed, 73% were Black. Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries is a professor of history at the Ohio State University. He says in light of police violence in Columbus, the reveal was tone deaf.

HASAN KWAME JEFFRIES: Black people are less interested in a thematic car celebrating African American history or Black History Month and more interested in police reform.

WIGGINS: A police spokesman told the Columbus Dispatch the cruiser was a collective idea. In a written statement, the police share that the cruiser as a decommissioned car used for community engagement. It commemorates⁹ holidays and events like Breast Cancer Awareness¹⁰ Month and Veteran's Day. Taisha Radford Schwartz (ph) is a resident of Columbus' Bronzeville community. She says the police should keep this month off its list of commemorations.

TAISHA RADFORD SCHWARTZ: I don't know that the police should be celebrating Black History Month. I don't know that the police as an institution is there.

WIGGINS: The announcement came less than a week after the release of footage showing the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, and the same day a lawsuit¹¹ was filed against Columbus city and public safety officials within the division. The Miami Police Department unveiled a similar cruiser last week, also met with criticism. Dr. Melissa Crum is a diversity and equity¹² practitioner¹³. She says if police departments across the country want to celebrate the month...

MELISSA CRUM: The first thing they have to do is come to grips with their industry and specific business's history that is connected to oppression.

WIGGINS: A police representative wrote that some community members have responded positively¹⁴ and asked for History 1 to participate in several Black History Month events. When asked for details, the police said things are still being finalized¹⁵. Tiffany Tims-Inskeep is the regional vice¹⁶ president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement. She sees the cruiser as a genuine effort to connect with the community.

TIFFANY TIMS-INSKEEP: This is a way they're trying to reach the community and bridge the gap.

WIGGINS: Dion Mensah is the leader of grassroots organization Black Queer and Intersectional¹⁷ Collective. She says the gesture is ultimately fatiguing¹⁸ for the community.

DION MENSAH: It's a slap in the face when you think about all of the lives that have been lost at the hands of police violence here in Columbus.

WIGGINS: This month, Columbus Division of Police also announced plans for a new specialized¹⁹ unit targeting gang violence, similar to Memphis's SCORPION²⁰ unit. It is another decision met with confusion and outrage²¹ by some in the community.

For NPR News, I'm Leticia Wiggins.

1 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。

2 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

3 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。

4 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。

5 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

6 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

7 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

8 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

9 commemorates   

n.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的名词复数 )v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A tombstone is erected in memory of whoever it commemorates. 墓碑是为纪念它所纪念的人而建的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A tablet commemorates his patriotic activities. 碑文铭记他的爱国行动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

11 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

12 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

13 practitioner   

n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者

参考例句：

• He is an unqualified practitioner of law.他是个无资格的律师。
• She was a medical practitioner before she entered politics.从政前她是个开业医生。

14 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

15 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

17 intersectional   

adj.交叉（点）的，区际的

参考例句：

• Psychology as an intersectional science is affected by the time spirit apparently. 作为交叉学科的心理学，受时代精神或者社会思潮的影响是很明显的。 来自互联网

18 fatiguing   

a.使人劳累的

参考例句：

• He was fatiguing himself with his writing, no doubt. 想必他是拼命写作，写得精疲力尽了。
• Machines are much less fatiguing to your hands, arms, and back. 使用机器时，手、膊和后背不会感到太累。

19 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

20 scorpion   

n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭

参考例句：

• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。
• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。

21 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。