VOA标准英语2012--Florida Shooting Highlights Racial Profiling Controversy

Florida Shooting Highlights Racial Profiling Controversy¹

Across the United States, there are calls for action in the killing² of Trayvon Martin. 

Martin is the 17-year-old shot dead in a confrontation³ with neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman.

Martin's parents say their son was murdered. Zimmerman claims self-defense. Local, state and federal authorities are investigating, but have made no arrests. 

Benjamin Crump is an attorney who represents Martin's family. "We honestly believe that Trayvon Martin is dead today because he was racially profiled," he stated.

Zimmerman's supporters deny that, but many Americans insist that's the case.

Representative Rush makes a point

Representative Bobby Rush is among members of Congress calling for a federal commission to study what they say is race-based injustice⁴. "Racial profiling has to stop Mister Speaker. Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum," he said.

Martin was wearing a hooded⁵ sweatshirt known as a hoodie the night he died. Now thousands of people are wearing them as a protest against what they see as racial stereotyping⁶. 

"I feel like I should be able to go outside and wear my hoodie without worrying about this guy may be feeling this sort of way or that I may be threatening to this person," said Chris Bullock, a university student.

Racial profiling

Civil rights activists⁷ also cite what they call "driving while black". It refers to police allegedly targeting African Americans for traffic stops because they believe blacks are more likely to commit crimes. 

Racial profiling violates equal protection laws. But many African Americans believe it is common, and are calling for change.

Greg Carr heads the Afro-American Studies Department at Howard University in Washington. "Politicians tend to respond to numbers and when you see numbers of people educating themselves as to the realities of racial profiling and then organizing themselves in ways that could lead to legislation," he stated. "It certainly could lead to lobbying and to an increase sensitivity in law enforcement and in general society "

Candance House attends a university in North Carolina. "It just kind of upsets me that we really judge people based on how they look and we don't really stop to judge their actions," she said. "And to see if they're really good people or not."

Some African American parents tell their children how to act if stopped by authorities. High school student Efrugene Baptist relays his mother's advice. "She taught me the safeties of going out on the streets and how anything can happen at any moment. So just always stay attentive⁸ and be aware of what was going on," he recalled. 

Some say that advice can mean the difference between life and death.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

4 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

5 hooded   

adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的

参考例句：

• A hooded figure waited in the doorway. 一个戴兜帽的人在门口等候。
• Black-eyed gipsy girls, hooded in showy handkerchiefs, sallied forth to tell fortunes. 黑眼睛的吉卜赛姑娘，用华丽的手巾包着头，突然地闯了进来替人算命。 来自辞典例句

6 stereotyping   

v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I realize that I'm stereotyping. 我认识到我搞的是老一套。 来自辞典例句
• There is none of the gender stereotyping usually evident in school uniforms. 有没有人的性别刻板印象通常是显而易见的。 来自互联网

7 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》

8 attentive   

adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的

参考例句：

• She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
• The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。