美国国家公共电台 NPR More Children Fall Victim To Street Shootings Amid Spike In Chicago

More Children Fall Victim To Street Shootings Amid Spike¹ In Chicago

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

So far this year, nearly 370 children in the United States who are 12 years old or younger have been harmed or killed by gunfire. This is according to the non-profit Gun Violence Archive, which collects gun violence data daily. Its research shows that throughout the country, accidents like kids playing with guns and also domestic disputes often cause the injury and deaths of young children.

But this summer in Chicago, it's been a different worry. A spike in street shootings has made gun violence even more of a threat to youngsters. Here's NPR's Cheryl Corley.

CHERYL CORLEY, BYLINE²: On the 6,000 block of South Paulina in Chicago, there's an empty grassy³ lot on one corner. Next to it, a big two-story, A-frame house similar to many on the street. That's where 6-year-old Tacarra Morgan lives. Earlier in July during a sunny afternoon, gunfire broke out while she sat on the porch with her grandmother and her mother Carolyn Morris.

CAROLYN MORRIS: All I know, bullets coming from that way. I didn't see who was shooting. I didn't see anything. And my daughter's so strong, I didn't even know she was shot. Me, her and my mom ran in the house. All she said was my stomach hurts. I raised her shirt. I checked her anyway. Her stomach was gushing⁴ out nothing but her intestines⁵.

CORLEY: This year, there's been a rise in shootings in several cities across the country. And in the summer, shell shocked neighborhoods like this one on Chicago's South Side typically expect an increase. But the numbers, more than 2,000 shootings so far in Chicago, have alarmed residents, especially when young children are being wounded.

Community activist⁶ Andrew Holmes says since the beginning of the year, at least 15 children age 12 and under have been wounded unintentionally by bullets.

ANDREW HOLMES: Started February the 11, 3,700 West Chicago, young child shot. February the 13, 3,100 West 64th Street, a 2-year-old shot. February the 20...

CORLEY: It's a situation that's left parents wondering what to say to their children and how to protect them.

HOLMES: So first, I want to welcome you to what we call an Operation: Wake Up!

CORLEY: The day after Tacarra Morgan was injured, Chicago police set up folding chairs in the intersection⁷ not far from the little girl's house and residents gathered for the Operation: Wake Up! police and community rally. On a table, brochures and sign-up sheets for anyone interested in organizing block clubs or mentoring⁸. Police coordinator⁹ Glenn Brooks¹⁰ says it's time for community action.

GLENN BROOKS: What is the most important thing here today? To sign up and to get organized. If we don't get organized, there is another child that will get shot.

CORLEY: Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez echoed the plea for residents to get involved.

RAYMOND LOPEZ: When I came here the other day, 44 bullets lied on this street. This is an atrocity¹¹ that is repeated daily in our communities. And it has to stop.

CORLEY: Wearing a T-shirt with the slogan hugs not slugs, 26-year-old community activist Aleta Clark agrees. She brought her two children and several other kids from the neighborhood to make them aware of what they're up against.

ALETA CLARK: I want them to see things outside of y'all comfort zone is happening, bad things, to kids like you. That's why I work so hard to keep them safe, to keep them happy, so this type of thing doesn't happen to them.

CORLEY: And Clark told those gathered at the rally she's frustrated¹² by the code of silence when it comes to the shootings in their own neighborhood.

CLARK: But if it was a cop that did it, this whole neighborhood would be a bunch of angry African-Americans. But when are we going to start holding our own people accountable?

CORLEY: Another parent, Keith Kysel, says he's had the hard conversation with his 7-year-old daughter Harmony.

KEITH KYSEL: I have to tell her sometimes at the park, it's time to go 'cause we see certain people in the park that might become targets. And we don't want to be in the way. We just have to be careful.

CORLEY: But Harmony just wants to be a kid.

HARMONY KYSEL: I should be able to go outside, ride my bike to the park and do activities, not be scared, go back in my house because somebody's doing something bad.

CORLEY: Keith Kysel says he and other parents are just trying to prevent what they hope is not becoming a new normal for young children in their neighborhood. Cheryl Corley, NPR News, Chicago.

GREENE: And we should add in Chicago, three police officers were stripped of their police powers and put on administrative¹³ duty over the weekend. This comes after an 18-year-old was killed. The city's police superintendent¹⁴ Eddie Johnson made this decision after determining that the officers violated policy when they fired their weapons.

The 18-year-old African-American man who was killed, Paul O'Neal, was suspected of stealing a car. He was involved in a car chase with police and later, a foot chase. Autopsy¹⁵ results say he died from a gunshot wound to the back. This, of course, comes with police departments across this country facing strong pressure to be more transparent¹⁶ about their use of force.

1 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

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 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

4 gushing   

adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话

参考例句：

• blood gushing from a wound 从伤口冒出的血
• The young mother was gushing over a baby. 那位年轻的母亲正喋喋不休地和婴儿说话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

8 mentoring   

n.mentoring是一种工作关系。mentor通常是处在比mentee更高工作职位上的有影响力的人。他/她有比‘mentee’更丰富的工作经验和知识，并用心支持mentee的职业（发展）。v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• One of the most effective instruments for coaching and mentoring is the "role rehearsal" . 辅导和教学的最有效的手段之一是“角色排练。” 来自辞典例句
• Bell Canada called their mentoring system a buddy-buddy system. 加拿大贝尔公司称他们的训导系统是伙伴—伙伴系统。 来自互联网

9 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

10 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 atrocity   

n.残暴，暴行

参考例句：

• These people are guilty of acts of great atrocity.这些人犯有令人发指的暴行。
• I am shocked by the atrocity of this man's crimes.这个人行凶手段残忍狠毒使我震惊。

12 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》

13 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

14 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

15 autopsy   

n.尸体解剖；尸检

参考例句：

• They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
• A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。

16 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。