种族歧视？ 美国民众纵火抗议弗格森案

 　　The morning after a St. Louis County grand jury decided¹ not to indict² police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, the country awoke Tuesday to learn that about two dozen buildings had burned in Ferguson, Mo., during a chaotic³ night

　　周一，圣路易斯县陪审团决定不对迈克尔·布朗枪击案中的开枪警官达伦·威尔森提出指控。第二天早晨，刚刚经历一个混乱之夜的密歇里州弗格森镇在24栋楼被烧的火光中醒来。

　　The shooting of Brown, who was black and unarmed, by a white police officer on Aug. 9 led to days of protests. Brown's death has raised once again old questions about the relationship between law enforcement and the black community in urban and suburban⁴ communities, revealing just how differently whites and blacks see life in the United States.

　　布朗枪击案发生于8月9号，这位未携带任何武器的黑人青年被一位白人警官射杀，导致了至今一系列的抗议活动。布朗的死又唤起了老生常谈的这个话题：法律实施和城乡黑人团体之间的关系。并暴露了美国对待白人和黑人生命轻贱有多么不同。

　　Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) declared a state of emergency in Ferguson several days ago, as businesses, schools and residents braced⁵ for potentially violent protests, like those that followed the shooting.

　　密苏里州州长杰伊·尼克松宣称，几天前因为枪击案的发生，商家、学校和居民都为暴力抗议做好了准备，政府即出台了一系列弗格森的紧急应对措施。

　　Some of the questions that Brown's death has raised simply don't have answers, but here are a few things you might be wondering if you're just getting caught up on what's happening in Ferguson.

　　布朗之死暴露了一些未被解答的问题，这里就有一些你也许想知道的，对于弗格森到底发生了什么的疑问的解答。

　　种族歧视？ 美国民众纵火抗议弗格森案

　　What did the grand jury decide?

　　陪审团下了什么结论？

　　After reviewing the evidence, the grand jury "determined⁶ that no probable cause exists to file any charge against Officer Wilson,” prosecuting⁷ attorney Robert P. McCulloch said. “They are the only people who have heard and examined every witness and every piece of evidence.”

　　在审查了证据之后，陪审团“决定对威尔森警官不会提出正式处罚”，检察官代理人罗伯特·P·麦克洛克说道，“他们是唯一听了和审查了每一个目击者和每一份证据的人。”

　　The grand jury — composed of 12 ordinary citizens, three of whom are black — had been reviewing conflicting information from several witnesses and three autopsy⁸ reports.

　　陪审团由12名普通市民组成，其中3人是黑人——他们重新审查了一些目击证人中有冲突的信息和三份验尸报告。

　　Although there was no question that Wilson killed Brown, McCulloch said, a key question was whether Wilson was authorized⁹ to use deadly force to defend himself.

　　虽然对于威尔森杀了布朗不具争议，不过麦卡洛特说道，关键问题在于威尔森是否被授权以暴力手段来进行自我防卫。

　　What happened overnight in Ferguson?

　　弗格森镇晚上到底发生了什么?

　　At this point, it looks like two dozen buildings in Ferguson and a couple of police vehicles burned overnight.

　　至今为止，弗格森的二十几栋楼和一些警车在夜晚被烧。

　　But looting appears to be minimal¹⁰, The Post reports, and police have said they know of no injuries except for one person whose car was hijacked¹¹.

　　但是打砸抢鲜少发生，根据华盛顿邮报的报道，警察声称没有一人受伤，只是有一人的车被抢走了。

　　A demonstrator sits in front of a street fire during a demonstration¹² in Oakland, Calif., following the grand jury decision in the shooting of Michael Brown. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)

　　据路透社史蒂芬·兰报道，在陪审团下了迈克尔·布朗枪击案的结论后，加州奥克兰有人坐在火前正坐示威。

　　Protest leaders and police officers had been meeting regularly to plan the demonstrations¹³ so that both sides would know when to draw the line. Business and law enforcement officials warned that the protests that would inevitably¹⁴ follow a decision not to indict could become violent. Demonstrators are worried that police will respond disproportionately, and they stocked up on items such as shatter-proof goggles¹⁵ to protect themselves from tear gas.

　　抗议的领导人和警方人员定期见面并制定计划游行，好知道彼此的最后界限在哪。商法执法人员警告道，抗议不可避免的会出现不受起诉的暴力行径。示威者们担心警察会不成比地进行应对，所以他们也储存了类似防碎护目镜这样的东西来对付催泪弹。

　　What's driving the protest movement in Ferguson?

　　弗格森抗议游行的背后推手？

　　They're angry that Brown is dead, to be sure, but plenty of other problems in the suburbs of St. Louis are probably contributing to the tensions there.

　　准确来说，他们对布朗的死表示愤慨，不过圣路易斯的郊区背后的很多其他的问题导致了情绪暴动。

　　About two-thirds of Ferguson's residents are black, and the poverty rate is 22 percent, according to the census¹⁶. In this regard, it isn't unlike many other poor, suburban communities around the country where most residents are people of color. Places such as Ferguson were forged by decades of government policies and unofficial industry practices that limited black residents to certain areas of major cities.

　　据人口普查，弗格森2/3的居民是黑人，贫困率是22%。就这一点而言，和许多其他贫困郊区的人大多是有色人种一样。像弗格森这样的地方，几十年以来受着政府政策和非官方的行业规范对于特定地区黑人居民的种种压迫。

　　Ferguson police are about three times as likely to arrest blacks as whites, a disparity that is typical for many police departments, according to an analysis by USA Today.

　　根据《今日美国》的分析，同其他警方部门相比，美国弗格森的警察和逮捕白人的频率比起来，逮捕黑人的频率要多出2倍这样不平等的比例。

1 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。

2 indict   

v.起诉，控告，指控

参考例句：

• You can't indict whole people for the crudeness of a few.您不能因少数人的粗暴行为就控诉整个民族。
• I can indict you for abducting high school student.我可以告你诱拐中学生。

3 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

4 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

5 braced   

adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• They braced up the old house with balks of timber. 他们用梁木加固旧房子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The house has a wooden frame which is braced with brick. 这幢房子是木结构的砖瓦房。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 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。

8 autopsy   

n.尸体解剖；尸检

参考例句：

• They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
• A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。

9 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

10 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

11 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

12 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

13 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

14 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

15 goggles   

n.护目镜

参考例句：

• Skiers wear goggles to protect their eyes from the sun.滑雪者都戴上护目镜使眼睛不受阳光伤害。
• My swimming goggles keep steaming up so I can't see.我的护目镜一直有水雾，所以我看不见。

16 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。