美国国家公共电台 NPR Streets A 'War Zone' As Protesters Call For Puerto Rico's Governor To Resign

 

NOEL KING, HOST:

In Puerto Rico last night, the old colonial section of San Juan looked a little bit like a war zone.

(SOUNDBITE OF PROTEST AMBIANCE)

KING: Police fired tear gas. They shot at protesters with rubber bullets and threw flash grenades. These protests started out peacefully during the day, but by evening, things had gotten chaotic¹. Puerto Rico has never really seen protests like this. People want their governor, Ricardo Rossello, to resign, but he is refusing, and so the protests keep getting bigger.

Adrian Florido of NPR's Code Switch team is in San Juan. Hey, Adrian.

ADRIAN FLORIDO, BYLINE²: Hi, Noel.

KING: So protests of this size are really unusual in Puerto Rico. You were there yesterday. What'd you see? How big was it?

FLORIDO: I mean, it's hard to say for sure how big it was - there are no official estimates - but there were many, many thousands of people. During the height of the protest, it was really hard to even just move through the streets of Old San Juan there were so many people. And you're right. It was an unprecedented³ night of political protest against a sitting governor. This sort of thing doesn't really happen - hasn't ever happened in Puerto Rico.

One reason it was so big was because of international famous artists from Puerto Rico - Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin, the rapper Residente - who all called on people to come out. But, you know, the other is that Puerto Ricans are just really angry. They're really angry and fed up with their governor and with their government, and they've had enough of it.

KING: Things started out, as we said, pretty peacefully during the day. And then, at night, it sort of descended⁴ into chaos⁵. What happened?

FLORIDO: Yeah. I mean, after nightfall, sort of, you know, the energy changed at the protest. You know, you could sort of start to feel tensions rising as some of the more aggressive protesters started to confront police a little bit more. And then at some point, there was a trigger of some sort, and the tear gas started flying, and the rocks started being hurled⁶. And then things devolved into chaos. And so it was a chaotic end to what was otherwise a very peaceful protest.

KING: Why are people so insistent⁷ that the governor resign? Remind us what he has done here.

FLORIDO: Well, the thing that sparked these protests initially⁸ over the weekend was the publication of these leaked text messages between him and members of his inner circle in which they used really offensive language to talk about political opponents, women and, really, everyday Puerto Ricans. Puerto Ricans were really offended by these text messages.

But, really, it was kind of the final straw for Puerto Ricans, who have been really frustrated⁹ about a lot of things on their island for a long time - the economic crisis, the fact that they feel like the government's often corrupt¹⁰, cronyism¹¹, the slow response and recovery from Hurricane Maria. And then to see their leaders making light of a lot of the struggles of everyday Puerto Ricans - it just became too much, and people took to the streets.

KING: Is there any sign that Rossello is going to listen and step down, given that things are getting large and violent now?

FLORIDO: He has been insistent that he is not going to step down. He has been, you know, facing increasing pressure from, obviously, the protesters, but also his political allies, his political opponents. There has been talk within the Puerto Rican Legislature of beginning impeachment¹² proceedings¹³, but that is unclear whether it's going to happen. Protesters say they're going to continue taking to the streets until he either steps down or is removed from office.

KING: Adrian Florido of NPR's Code Switch team. Thanks, Adrian.

FLORIDO: Thanks, Noel.

1 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

2 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。

3 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

4 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

5 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

6 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 insistent   

adj.迫切的，坚持的

参考例句：

• There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
• He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

11 cronyism   

n.任人唯亲，对好朋友的偏袒

参考例句：

• Many small town mayor and city official practice cronyism.许多小镇的市长和大城市的官员都有任人唯亲的行为。
• Bringing business people into politics can also produce corruption and cronyism.商人从政也容易带来腐败和任人唯亲。

12 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

13 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