休斯敦举行抗议齐默尔曼无罪

 　　HOUSTON, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Protesters against George Zimmerman's acquittal in the U.S. city of Houston entered its second day Tuesday as dozens of protesters made their way into the city hall and courthouse.

　　Activists¹ marched on the U.S. Federal Courthouse and Houston City Hall in downtown Houston around noon to protest the acquittal. The City Council was forced to recess² at about 2:40 p.m. CST when several dozen protesters who had been watching the proceedings³ gathered outside the chamber⁴, before flooding the room shouting " No justice, no peace!" and "Trayvon Martin!"

　　Two of the protesters were detained by police after being cleared from the chamber. No one was arrested at the courthouse, according to the real-time report of the Houston Chronicle.

　　Tuesday's demonstrations⁵ followed a Monday march which had temporarily blocked traffic on a highway.

　　Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida, had been charged with a second degree murder after shooting dead 17-year-old African-American boy Trayvon Martin in February 2012.

　　A jury in Florida acquitted⁶ him Saturday, triggering heated nationwide debate over potential injustice⁷ against ethnic⁸ minorities in the case, as well as protests in some big cities, including New York and Los Angeles.

1 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》

2 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

3 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

4 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

7 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。

8 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。