Kung Fu Making US Streets Safer

Bruce Lee once compared studying martial¹ arts to studying oneself. It's with that same philosophy that a group of community leaders in the US city of Philadelphia are introducing kung fu to youngsters in a bid to tackle gang crime. CRI's Dominic Swire has more.

 
Philadelphia's not a dangerous city by American standards. But a recent spate² of youth violence, much of it racially motivated, has left many scratching their heads about how to tackle the problem. Some believe the answer is kung fu.

"I'm standing³ in the middle of one of America's largest Chinatowns in Philadelphia city. Just next to me is the entrance to a kung fu academy and I'm going to go in to see what's happening."

Inside senior student John Testino is practicing some moves.

"That was very impressive. Are noises important?"

"Yes, that enhances your power"

Academies like this are some of the few places in the city youths from all walks of life can come together and have fun. Sean Pond is one of them. Although coming here is expensive for him, he feels the benefit.

"I've definitely gotten stronger and I've changed my eating habits and when I've been training regularly my mind and memory even function better. So it has other effects, too, besides physical health."

Shu Pui Cheung is the teacher. He says kung fu is more than just fighting.

"I think the basic thing is to teach people how to respect and be friendly towards each other. That's very, very important. And teaching the individual how to focus on concentration and health. This is why a lot of people learn kung fu."

It's this philosophy that community leaders in Philadelphia hope to teach youngsters. Lieutenant⁴ Maurice Tunstall is a police officer focusing on school crime.

"Bullying⁵, peer pressure, assaults, aggravated⁶ assaults, sexual assaults, drugs. Anything dealing⁷ with violence. We have it all from A to Z."

To tackle youth crime, Lieutenant Tunstall is helping⁸ to organize a kung fu exhibition for schools, partly sponsored by the Chinese community.

While some may question the logic⁹ of reducing violence through teaching kids how to fight, organizers hope kung fu can inspire youngsters to build discipline. Lieutenant Tunstall again.

"Even if we change just one youth, to change his demeanor¹⁰ to come round to a positive, as opposed to a negative, that's what we're doing."

Philadelphia's home state of Pennsylvania recorded 53 so-called 'hate' crimes motivated by prejudice in 2009, according to latest figures from the FBI. While that's 50 percent lower than five years before, community leaders hope to reduce these figures even more by inspiring youngsters through the Chinese art of kung fu.

Reporting from Philadelphia for CRI, I'm Dominic Swire.

1 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

2 spate   

n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵

参考例句：

• Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
• Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。

3 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。

4 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

5 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

10 demeanor   

n.行为；风度

参考例句：

• She is quiet in her demeanor.她举止文静。
• The old soldier never lost his military demeanor.那个老军人从来没有失去军人风度。