2007年VOA标准英语-Los Angeles Summit Tackles International Gang P

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
08 February 2007

International law enforcement authorities now meeting in Los Angeles say the problem of violent street gangs crosses borders. VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports, officials from Canada, Mexico, and Central America have joined their U.S. counterparts in a three-day gang summit ending Friday.

Authorities from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize are contending with street gangs that started in ethnic¹ neighborhoods in Los Angeles, then expanded as criminal enterprises after convicted felons² were deported³ to their home countries.  Today, violent groups with names like MS-13 and the18th Street gang straddle the borders. 

Stephen Tidwell runs the Los Angeles office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation⁴, and says gangs are extending their reach in troubling ways.

"It is not so much new, as now that we have reached a point that there is such volume to it, and they have grown in their sophistication in how they are now running themselves," he said.  "Their capacity to control areas, whether it be neighborhoods here or portions of neighborhoods and cities in Central and South America, they are learning every day how to do that better."

This week, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca announced cooperative efforts aimed at sharing intelligence, coordinating⁵ training and apprehending⁶ fugitive⁷ gang members. 

Law enforcement officials who are meeting in Los Angeles hope to develop strategies to target the gang problem, which they say is pressing.  In Central America, thousands of gang members engage in extortion and murder. 

 
Antonio Villaraigosa 
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says gangs are responsible for most murders in his city, and more than two-thirds of its shootings.

As part of its new strategy, Los Angeles will publicize the names of the worst gangs that officials hope to dismantle⁸.  The approach has its critics, however, who worry the publicity⁹ will only glamorize the gangs.

The mayor believes, however, that a comprehensive strategy will make inroads with a problem that has plagued his city for decades.

"It is not a problem that we are going to address overnight," he said.  "But if we address it comprehensively, if we address it local, state, and federal and even internationally, if we look at prevention, intervention¹⁰, enforcement, as one continuum, we can address this issue."

He says gangs operate in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods, and that intensified¹¹ law enforcement must be combined with job training and efforts to keep students in school.

 
Rocky Delgadillo
Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo grew up in a gang-infested neighborhood, but sees progress in the city's battle against gangs.

"Over the last five years here in Los Angeles, we have gone from 57,000 gang members, which is a huge number, down to 39,000," he said.  "It is still way too many, but we have seen a 33 percent reduction in gang membership in LA.   Some of the things that we are doing are working, so it gives me some hope that if we scale them up to the size of the problem, we might actually start to dismantle and disrupt the gangs."

He says in addition to stepped-up enforcement both in the United States and south of the border, the effort should target recruiters who try to bring young people into gangs, and offer alternatives to gangs for inner-city youngsters.

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 felons   

n.重罪犯( felon的名词复数 )；瘭疽；甲沟炎；指头脓炎

参考例句：

• Aren't those the seats they use for transporting convicted felons? 这些坐位不是他们用来押运重犯的吗？ 来自电影对白
• House Republicans talk of making felons out of the undocumented and those who help them. 众议院共和党议员正商议对未登记的非法移民以及包庇他们的人课以重罪。 来自互联网

3 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

6 apprehending   

逮捕，拘押( apprehend的现在分词 )； 理解

参考例句：

• China has not been totally unsuccessful apprehending corruption suspects. 在逮捕腐化分子方面，中国并非毫无进展。
• Apprehending violence is not an easy task. 惧怕暴力不是一件容易的事。

7 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

8 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

9 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

10 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

11 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》