Police Step Back as US Protesters Call for Reforms

 

Weeks of protests over the death of George Floyd have strengthened calls for police reforms and reducing the amount of money police forces receive.

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on May 25 after a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, kneeled on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.

Two weeks after Floyd's death, a majority of Minneapolis City Council members voted to drop the 800-member police department. "It is clear that our system of policing is not keeping our communities safe," said City Council President Lisa Bender.

However, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says he does not support a full end to the department.

Derek Chauvin, the officer who held his knee on Floyd's neck, has been charged with second-degree murder. The three other officers who were there during Floyd's arrest have been charged with aiding and abetting¹ – or helping² -- in a murder.

The state of Minnesota has begun a civil rights investigation³ into the Minneapolis Police Department.

This is not the first time that an American city has struggled to deal with aggressive policing methods or unequal treatment among its police force.

In 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, a white officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black man. The U.S. attorney general at the time, Eric Holder⁴, said federal officials considered breaking up the police department. The city later reached an agreement that required strong reforms.

On Monday, congressional Democrats⁵ proposed new federal legislation to ban police chokeholds and limit legal protections for officers. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi knelt with other lawmakers for 8 minutes and 46 seconds – the length of time Floyd was under the knee of the Minneapolis officer.

Pelosi made note of the nation's history of slavery, saying, "We cannot settle for anything less than transformative structural⁶ change."

"Defund the police"

Across the United States, protesters are now calling to "defund the police," as more videos of aggressive policing methods have been published and widely shared.

In Buffalo⁷, New York, two police officers were charged with assault last week after being filmed pushing an old man taking part in a protest. The man fell back and hit his head on the ground. In videos of the incident, blood can be seen flowing onto the ground. A government lawyer called the victim "a harmless 75-year-old man" and said the police officers "crossed the line."

In other cities, law enforcement agents have used tear gas and physical force against both looters and peaceful protesters. The Associated Press reports that more than 10,000 people have been arrested around the country since the protests began.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday that the city would move money from the police department to programs for young people and social services. He said the changes would still keep the city safe. He did not give any additional information.

In Los Angeles, California, Mayor Eric Garcetti said he wants to cut as much as $150 million from a planned increase in the police department's budget. A police union representative answered, "At this time, with violent crime increasing, a global pandemic and nearly a week's worth of violence, arson⁸, and looting, ‘defunding' the LAPD [Los Angeles police Department] is the most irresponsible thing anyone can propose."

Some supporters of the cause say "defunding the police" is not about removing police departments or taking away all of their money. They say it is time for the country to deal with problems in policing and to spend more on housing and education.

Representative Karen Bass⁹ of California is chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus¹⁰. She told CNN, "Now, I don't believe that you should disband police departments. But," she added, "I do think that, in cities, in states, we need to look at how we are spending the resources and invest more in our communities."

More peaceful protests

The protests in recent days have been peaceful. Police appear to have stopped using aggressive methods.

Several cities, including Chicago, Illinois, and New York City, have lifted their curfews. Over the weekend, New York City police officers were not wearing riot gear as they watched over the demonstrators. Some shook hands and took pictures with protesters.

In Washington, D.C., protesters pleaded with a black female Secret Service officer to, in their words, "take the knee. Do it. Do it. Take the knee." Taking a knee is seen as a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The officer stepped forward and knelt for a short time.

Another officer told the protesters, "I'm talking to you as another black man just to say this is something that encourages me. And just like you're out there for me, consider what I'm doing here, for you."

I'm Caty Weaver¹¹.

Words in This Story

chokehold - n. a method of holding someone by putting arm or leg around the person's neck with enough pressure to make breathing difficult

kneel - v. (past tense - knelt) to put one or both knee on the floor

transformative - adj. causing or able to cause change

defund - v. to remove money for something

assault - n. the crime of trying or threatening to hurt someone physically¹²

looter - n. a person who steal things from a place during a war or after a destruction caused by fire, rioting, etc.

pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people around the world

arson - n. the illegal burning of a building or other structure

disband - v. to end an organization or a group

1 abetting   

v.教唆（犯罪）( abet的现在分词 )；煽动；怂恿；支持

参考例句：

• On Earth, unknowingly abetting a criminal doesn't merit this kind of punishment. 在地球上，不知不觉地帮助罪犯并不构成这种惩罚。 来自电影对白
• "By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban regime is committing murder." 援助和唆使谋杀的塔利班政权与杀人犯同罪。 来自互联网

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 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。

4 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

5 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》

6 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

7 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。

8 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

9 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

10 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

11 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

12 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。