VOA标准英语2011--Occupy Movement Works to Maintain Credibility

Occupy Movement Works to Maintain Credibility

With police shutting down so-called "Occupy" camps around the United States, there is growing criticism that participants were becoming too confrontational¹. While there are some more aggressive elements on the fringes of the Occupy movement who have caused problems, most protesters adhere to a strict code of non-violence. Our reporter talked with several Occupy protesters in Washington, about the movement's efforts to maintain credibility.

After months of occupation, police moved in, evicting² protestors and dismantled³ camps. First in Oakland, then Portland, and now New York, were the Occupy movement started.

Officials say health conditions had become intolerable in the camps. A murder was reported in Oakland and a rape⁴ in Philadelphia, where Mayor Michael Nutter⁵ says the protest was attracting people with the wrong motives⁶.

“We are seeing serious health and safety issues playing out on almost a daily basis," said Nutter. "The people of Occupy Philly have changed, and their intentions have changed.”

In Washington, two "Occupy" camps are still intact. Veteran activist⁷ Kevin Zeese says movements often go through growing pains.

“I think as movements grow and attract new people, you attract people who aren’t as clear on their purpose," said Zeese. "And who may have different agendas, whether they are people who are actually infiltrating⁸ to cause trouble and escalate⁹ violence to destroy the credibility of the movement.”

Zeese says movements must police themselves. Here at the Freedom Plaza¹⁰ Occupy camp, there is a list of principles all protesters must sign if they want to stay.

“You can see the first one starts out as a non-violence resolution," he said.

They range from not carrying weapons, to not vandalizing or stealing property. Sociologist¹¹ Lester Kurtz says a non-violence ethos is essential for a protest movement’s success.

“They know that if they can maintain a non-violent discipline, it enhances the value of their message," said Kurtz. "If they lose non-violent discipline, then it begins to discredit¹² them in the eyes of a lot of potential sympathizers.”

Occupy protesters say fringe elements who do not adhere to their principles have caused scattered¹³ violent incidents around the country.

Recently in Washington, the Occupy movement drew public criticism after confrontations¹⁴ with police at a protest event. An elderly woman fell down and several protesters were hit by a car.

A protester who calls himself Pietro says there are some people in Occupy D.C. who, when provoked, have aggressive tendencies.

“Those who actively¹⁵ engage the police in aggressive actions need to be told to leave camp, is basically what I think," said Pietro.

Occupy D.C. has worked to mend its relationship with the police. And some in the camp have attended non-violent civil disobedience training. For now they plan to continue their occupation, even as questions grow about the future of the movement nationally.

1 confrontational   

adj.挑衅的；对抗的

参考例句：

• Fans love rappers partly because they strike such a confrontational pose. 乐迷热爱这些饶舌艺人一定程度上是因为他们所采取的那种战斗姿态。 来自互联网
• You prefer a non confrontational approach when it comes to resolving disputes. 面对争端，你不喜欢采用对抗性的手段来解决。 来自互联网

2 evicting   

v.（依法从房屋里或土地上）驱逐，赶出( evict的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Money spent on evicting sex offenders cannot be spent on treating them. 花在打击性侵犯者上的钱并不能花在治疗这一社会问题上。 来自互联网
• Money spent on evicting sex offenders cannot be spent on treating them. Does this matter? 钱被花费在驱逐性犯罪者而不是用做教育他们，这样做真的好么？ 来自互联网

3 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。

4 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

5 nutter   

n.疯子

参考例句：

• Don't call him nutter because it is such a bad term.别叫他“疯子”，这不是个好词。
• But it's awfully ruthless and cold-blooded for a nutter from the other side.但是对那边的疯子们来说，却也实在太冷血无情了。

6 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

7 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

8 infiltrating   

v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Be vigilant against the danger of enemy agents infiltrating the government and boring from within. 要警惕敌特渗入政府内部进行暗中破坏。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The metastatic melanoma is seen here to be infiltrating into the myocardium. 图示转移性黑色素瘤浸润到心肌。 来自互联网

9 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

10 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

11 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

12 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

13 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

14 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

15 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。