美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden will visit Buffalo, where residents are reeling from the mass shooting

Biden will visit Buffalo¹, where residents are reeling from the mass shooting

Transcript²

In Buffalo, N.Y., people are still struggling to comprehend Saturday's attack that killed 10 people at a supermarket. Authorities say a self-avowed white supremacist targeted Black people.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Mass shootings happen so often in this country, there's a formula for what happens after the fact. The community holds vigils. Local and state dignitaries come to console. And often, there's a presidential visit. That's what happens today as President Biden and the first lady travel to Buffalo, N.Y., to spend time with those grieving the 10 lives lost. But even though the pattern of events after a mass shooting is familiar, the pain each family feels after the loss of their loved one is particular and devastating³. NPR's Joe Hernandez is in Buffalo. He's been talking with the families of some of the victims, and he joins us now. Joe, thanks for being here.

JOE HERNANDEZ, BYLINE⁴: Sure.

MARTIN: This was a racist⁵ attack, happened on Saturday at that grocery store, the Tops grocery store in Buffalo. It shocked this community, a mostly Black neighborhood. What are you hearing from folks there, particularly the relatives of those who died?

HERNANDEZ: Yeah, well, I was at a press conference yesterday with the family of one of the victims, Ruth Whitfield. She was an 86-year-old Black woman who'd just come from visiting her husband in a nursing home up the road. And her son, Garnell Whitfield, who is a former Buffalo fire commissioner⁶, spoke⁷ about his mother.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GARNELL WHITFIELD: But we're not just hurting. We're angry. We're mad. This shouldn't have happened.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: No, it shouldn't.

WHITFIELD: We do our best to be good citizens, to be good people. We believe in God.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yes.

WHITFIELD: We trust him.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: That's right.

WHITFIELD: We treat people with decency⁸. And we love even our enemies. And you expect us to keep doing this over and over and over again.

HERNANDEZ: You know, Whitfield was speaking in a church auditorium⁹ there, surrounded by family members, some of whom were crying. And you could really feel the anguish¹⁰ echoing around that space. People are just angry that a white supremacist came into their neighborhood and specifically targeted Black residents and in shock that it happened at some - you know, a place like a grocery store and in particular, this grocery store, which is a sort of hub in the neighborhood.

MARTIN: Can you tell me more about that neighborhood in East Buffalo?

HERNANDEZ: Yeah, it's predominantly Black, and it has a rich Black history and culture. Outside the supermarket, I talked to Pastor¹¹ Tim Newkirk, who works with GYC Ministries¹². And he told me it was famous for a bunch of things, in fact, including the first Buffalo Bills stadium and historic theaters and libraries. And that all made the shooting just so much more painful.

TIM NEWKIRK: There's just so much rich history. So for him to pick this community was pretty much designed because this is the melting pot, you know? We have thriving banks, restaurants, barbershops, you know, the fish market. This is a history that is preserved.

HERNANDEZ: Newkirk said the community was already actually starting to forgive the shooter, and - but it really goes beyond just that neighborhood. I mean, the whole city is feeling this. People describe Buffalo, which is called the City of Good Neighbors, as a really tight-knit community for a city of its size.

MARTIN: If we could turn for a moment to the investigation¹³, what more do authorities know about the alleged¹⁴ shooter?

HERNANDEZ: They say that he was in Buffalo at the supermarket in March and also that he was there on Friday, the day before the shooting. And they're not releasing many more details. The investigation is ongoing¹⁵ and there is a felony court hearing for him scheduled for this Thursday.

MARTIN: So as we noted¹⁶, President Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, are expected to visit Buffalo today. Any word on what their message will be?

HERNANDEZ: A White House official says the president will visit the Tops supermarket site, and he'll meet with family members of the victims, as well as law enforcement officials and first responders. Biden will also make remarks and call the shooting an act of terrorism and ask Americans to reject these racist and hateful ideologies¹⁷. And he'll also call on Congress to pass new gun measures to keep hands - to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and people with mental illnesses that make them a danger to the public.

MARTIN: NPR's Joe Hernandez reporting from Buffalo. Joe, thank you.

HERNANDEZ: You're welcome.

1 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

6 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

9 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

10 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

11 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

12 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

13 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。

14 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

15 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

16 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

17 ideologies   

n.思想（体系）( ideology的名词复数 )；思想意识；意识形态；观念形态

参考例句：

• There is no fundamental diversity between the two ideologies. 这两种思想意识之间并没有根本的分歧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Radical ideologies require to contrast to their own goodness the wickedness of some other system. 凡是过激的意识形态，都需要有另外一个丑恶的制度作对比，才能衬托出自己的善良。 来自辞典例句