德州官员发布监狱死亡案例视频发表

Texas Officials Release Video in Jailhouse Death Case 德州官员发布监狱死亡案例视频发表

WALLER COUNTY, TEXAS—

The sheriff’s office in Waller County, Texas, has released three hours of video from a jail camera that shows the area outside the cell where a young African-American woman died this month.

Sandra Bland¹, 28, of Chicago was stopped for a minor² traffic violation³ July 10 and was arrested for assaulting an officer. Three days later, she was found dead in her jail cell, and relatives, friends and civil rights activists⁵ continue to demand an outside investigation⁶ of what happened.

In the video from the jail, there is no direct view of Bland in her cell, but it does show the moment a guard discovers something is wrong. Later, paramedics arrive to remove the body.

Waller County Sheriff’s Department Captain Brian Cantrell said guards found her in a standing⁷ position with a cord fashioned from a plastic garbage bag around her neck.

“She passed through asphyxiation⁸, so that tells you that she could not breathe, and that can happen whether standing, kneeling down or sitting down,” Cantrell said.

Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis said final judgment⁹ on what happened to Bland would depend on evidence gathered by law enforcement authorities, including the FBI.

“It is very much too early to make any kind of determination that this was a suicide or a murder because the investigations¹⁰ are not complete,” Mathis said.

There are also questions about the arrest, captured by a passer-by via cellphone video. Mathis said the dashboard video being released by the state shows the arresting officer’s errors as well as what he described as a “combative” Bland.

“It was not a model traffic stop, and it was not a model person that was stopped,” he said.

Bland was an outspoken¹¹ critic of police abuse of African-Americans, so many in Waller County think that might have been why she was stopped.

Black religious figures have called for a Justice Department investigation, saying Bland's civil rights were violated because of her race.

Among those holding a daily vigil outside the jail is the Reverend Hannah Bonner, who identifies with Bland as a fellow activist⁴.

“There’s that sense of solidarity¹² that you build within the movement and that sense that we have lost one of our own,” Bonner said.

Brandi, another vigil participant, also believes racism¹³ was behind the jail cell death. “It is a tragedy for this town, for this city, for our nation that these types of brutalities continue to happen,” she said.

Officials are calling for patience as they await the results of the investigation. Those results should be known by sometime next month.

1 bland   

adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的

参考例句：

• He eats bland food because of his stomach trouble.他因胃病而吃清淡的食物。
• This soup is too bland for me.这汤我喝起来偏淡。

2 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

3 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

4 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 asphyxiation   

n. 窒息

参考例句：

• Objective Inquiry into the heavy asphyxiation rescues measure of the new born. 摘要目的探讨新生儿重度窒息抢救的措施。
• Self-contained breathing apparatus(SCBA) may be required to prevent asphyxiation of rescue personnel. 可能要求有自给式呼吸器(SCBA)，以防止救援人员窒息。

9 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

10 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

11 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

12 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

13 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。