VOA常速英语2019--弗格森事件五年后，各州开始控制对穷人的惩罚

Five Years After Ferguson, States Rein¹ in Punishment of the Poor

For Ferguson’s once in battle, police force is back the basis.

对于弗格森地区来说，一旦发生战斗，警察力量就成为了基础。 

Police still stopped motorists but gone are the days when the city’s black residents believe Ferguson’s police officers saw them as potential sources of revenue.

警察仍然会拦下司机，但弗格森黑人居民认为警察把他们视为潜在收入来源的日子已经一去不复返了。

Instead of giving us petty traffic tickets and things like that, they trying to come up with programs there to help us instead of hinder us as a community.

他们没有给我们开交通罚单之类的东西，而是试图想出一些项目来帮助我们，而不是阻碍我们作为一个团体的发展。

In 2014, a white officer shot and killed black teenager Michael Brown, igniting weeks of protests,

二零一四年，一名白人警察开枪打死了黑人少年迈克尔·布朗，引发了数周的抗议活动， 

and putting the spotlight² on how Ferguson and other cities punish poor communities through exorbitant³ penalties.

并将焦点放在弗格森和其他城市如何通过过分的惩罚惩处贫困社区。 

Wesley Bell, a former activist⁴ and Ferguson City Council member, when a historic election last year to become St. Louis county’s first African-American chief prosecutor⁵.

韦斯利·贝尔，曾经是一名活动人士，也是弗格森市议会成员。去年，他在一次历史性的选举中当选为圣路易斯县首位非洲裔首席检察官。

When you look at the entire scope, Ferguson wasn’t even one of the worst offenders⁶ and Bell says out of tragedy has come an opportunity.

你纵观全局，弗格森甚至都不是最糟糕的罪犯之一，贝尔说从悲剧中走出来是一个机会。 

In Ferguson when you do something negative or positive, if it registers sometimes locally but oftentimes nationally,

在弗格森，当你做一些消极或积极的事情时，如果它显示是地区性的，但通常是全国性的， 

and so I think that’s an opportunity to implement⁷ changes in reform that can reverberate⁸ across the nation.

因此，我认为这是实施改革的一个机会，可以在全国产生影响。 

Across the nation, states have taken notice.

全国各州都注意到了这一点。 

Missouri capped the amount of revenue, cities can raise from traffic tickets a 20 percent.

密苏里州规定了税收上限，城市可以从交通罚单中收取百分之二十。 

Texas passed a law requiring judges to assess an offender’s ability to pay at sentencing.

德克萨斯州通过了一项法律，要求法官评估罪犯的量刑能力。 

We have seen reform.

我们看到了改革。 

It’s nowhere near enough but we’re making progress.

这远远不够，但我们正在取得进展。 

Among the areas of progress, courts have stopped jailing people for outstanding fines and fees at least directly.

在取得进展的领域中，法院已经停止关押那些直接因未付罚款和费用而入狱的人。 

And a half dozen states have stopped suspending drivers licenses⁹ for failing to pay fines.

六个州已经停止了因未缴纳罚款而吊销驾照的做法。 

In September nearly 1 million people in Texas will get their drivers licenses back.

今年九月，德克萨斯州将有近一百万人重获驾照。 

In Ferguson the criminal justice issues exposed by Brown’s death haven’t gone away.

在弗格森，布朗之死暴露的刑事司法问题并未消失。 

A recent report by the state’s attorney general says that since 2014 racial disparity in traffic stops have increased in Ferguson and across the state.

该州总检察长最近的一份报告称，自二零一四年以来，弗格森和全州的交通停车站的种族差异有所加剧。

There tonight and you’d see a line of mostly African-American people coming out of that Court even though they’re only 67% of the population, that’ll be like 98% of the people in court.

今晚在那里，你会看到一排大多数是非裔美国人走出法庭，尽管他们只占人口的百分之六十七，这相当于法庭上百分之九十八的人。

Ferguson residents said they’re determined¹⁰ to fix the problem even as the city struggles to comply with reforms required by the Justice Department.

弗格森居民表示，他们决心解决这个问题，尽管该市很难进行司法部要求的改革。 

1 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 exorbitant   

adj.过分的；过度的

参考例句：

• More competition should help to drive down exorbitant phone charges.更多的竞争有助于降低目前畸高的电话收费。
• The price of food here is exorbitant. 这儿的食物价格太高。

4 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。

5 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

6 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

7 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

8 reverberate   

v.使回响，使反响

参考例句：

• The decision will reverberate and will jar the country.这项决定将引起反响并震撼这个国家。
• Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my hear.痛苦呼喊的一遍遍的在我的心中回响。

9 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。