Sports Postponed as Americans Protest Racism in Law Enforcement

 

Three months ago, the death of George Floyd under arrest by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, incited¹ protests of brutality² and systemic racism³ in law enforcement. Now, a police shooting this week in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has led to more protests.

On Sunday, a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man. Blake's lawyer has said he was attempting to break up a fight between two women when he was wounded. Blake remains⁴ hospitalized from his wounds.

Video captured by a neighbor shows Blake walks around his vehicle followed by two police officers. As Blake opens the driver's side door, an officer pulls his shirts from behind and shoots him seven times. A woman standing⁵ by the car is seen jumping up and down calling for help. His three young children were reportedly inside the vehicle.

Protests in Wisconsin and elsewhere began Sunday night. They have continued throughout the week. The protests turned deadly on Tuesday when a 17-year-old white man shot at protesters. Two people were killed and one person was severely⁶ wounded.

Kyle Rittenhouse from nearby Antioch, Illinois, is the suspect in the shooting. He was charged Wednesday with first-degree intentional⁷ homicide after being seen on video captured at the scene.

In the video, Rittenhouse is seen running through the street carrying a semi-automatic rifle. He trips, falls to the ground and opens fire at people who had been chasing him. A man shouts, "Hey, he just shot them... He just shot them down there," as several police vehicles pass by without stopping.

Stop the games

Some professional athletes have joined the Kenosha protests.

On Wednesday night, members of the Milwaukee Bucks⁸ professional basketball team refused to play their planned NBA game. The team represents a Wisconsin city about 64 kilometers north of Kenosha.

Team members wore clothes saying "Black Lives Matter" as they read a statement. They said they were "calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand(ing) the officers be held accountable." They asked the state of Wisconsin legislature to return to work to address police action and criminal justice reform.

The players added, "We encourage all citizens to educate themselves, take peaceful and responsible action, and remember to vote on Nov. 3."

Naomi Osaka is a Grand Slam tennis champion who is half Black and half Japanese. She announced Wednesday that she would not continue to play in the Western & Southern Open tennis competition. She explained that she was doing so to take a stand against police violence against Black people in the United States.

Osaka wrote on Twitter, " I don't expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction."

Players in other professional sports leagues, including the Women's NBA, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, have also gone on strike in protest of the Blake shooting. Many games have been postponed⁹.

Speaking to the Republican National Convention from Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. Vice¹⁰ President Mike Pence defended law enforcement. He did not directly note police violence against Floyd, Blake and other Black Americans.

The vice president said, "The American people know we don't have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with African American neighbors to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns."

Doc Rivers, who is Black, coaches the Los Angeles Clippers, an NBA team. He talked to reporters after his team played a game on Wednesday night. He said "just watching the Republican Convention... all of them talk about fear."

"We're the ones getting killed. We're the ones getting shot. We're the ones denied to live in certain communities. We've been hung. We've been shot. And all you do is keep hearing about fear. It's amazing to me..."

I'm Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

brutality - n. cruel, harsh and usually violent treatment of another person

scene - n. the place of an incident or event

drastic - adj. extreme in effect or action

coach - n. a person who trains and teaches members of a sports team and makes decision about the team plays

1 incited   

刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He incited people to rise up against the government. 他煽动人们起来反对政府。
• The captain's example incited the men to bravery. 船长的榜样激发了水手们的勇敢精神。

2 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

3 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。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 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。

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

8 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

10 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。