VOA标准英语2011--US Police Response to Protests Varies from City to City

US Police Response to Protests Varies from City to City

Police in several cities have cracked down on Occupy Wall Street protests but continue to stand on the sidelines in other municipalities, including New York City, where the movement began.

Last week, police in riot gear moved against demonstrators in several cities. Demonstrators in Portland, Oregon did not resist authorities.

But in Oakland, California, an Iraq War veteran suffered a skull¹ fracture, apparently² from a tear gas canister. Police chief Howard Jordan acknowledged his force fired the canisters, along with beanbags and rubber bullets.

"They had already thrown bottles at us," Jordan says. "They were going back into a garbage can to retrieve³ more bottles, and by policy we are allowed to use less lethal⁴ rounds to neutralize⁵ that person and take him into custody⁶."

In Nashville, Tennessee, state authorities arrested demonstrators after hastily instituting new protest rules. They included a curfew and permit requirements, which suddenly made the three-week long protest illegal. Local judge Tom Nelson did not like the abrupt⁷ change. He ordered protesters released.

“When the state issued its memorandum⁸ today, imposing⁹ a curfew and changing the rules right in the middle of a protest - they can do that - but they have to give them adequate opportunity to comply with those rules," Nelson said.

The result in Tennessee highlights the lack of a common approach to policing the Occupy protests across the nation.

The nation’s 18,000 municipal police departments are controlled by city or county officials, and they react in part based on their own feelings, and on those of local citizens.

Toledo, Ohio, Mayor Mike Bell says he won’t allow the local protest to go on indefinitely, saying “They are going to have to vacate the premises¹⁰ at some point in time.”

In Santa Rosa California, city manager Kathleen Millison is cooperating with demonstrators.

“It was best to avoid a so-called showdown. That was not in our interests or their interests," Millison said.

Maria Haberfeld, at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, says how a mayor uses the police depends on perceptions of public safety, concern about police overtime¹¹ pay and popular pressure. She notes that the training and emotions of individual police officers also have a bearing.

“It might be that the police officers actually do identify with the causes of the individuals who are on the other side, but being part of the organization, they cannot allow their private thoughts to influence their decision-making process, so there might be quite a lot of frustration¹² on this end," she said.

Few police officers look forward to breaking up a protest, but she adds that officers can get frustrated¹³ with being assigned for weeks on end to maintain order at a protest.

After seven weeks, the original Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York City say they plan to stay for months.

1 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

4 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

5 neutralize   

v.使失效、抵消，使中和

参考例句：

• Nothing could neutralize its good effects.没有什么能抵消它所产生的好影响。
• Acids neutralize alkalis and vice versa.酸能使碱中和碱，亦能使酸中和。

6 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

7 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

8 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

9 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

10 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

11 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

12 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

13 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》