美国国家公共电台 NPR As Trial Begins In Charlottesville Protest Death, Community Reflects

As Trial Begins In Charlottesville Protest Death, Community Reflects

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The man accused of ramming¹ his car through a crowd of protesters at a white supremacist rally goes on trial this week in Charlottesville, Va. Jury selection starts today. James Alex Fields Jr. is charged with murder in the death of Heather Heyer. He also faces additional charges for wounding others. Here's NPR's Debbie Elliott.

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE²: When the August 12, 2017 Unite the Right rally erupted in violence, Star Peterson was with a multiracial group of counterprotesters marching downtown. She didn't see the gray Dodge³ Challenger coming from behind, accelerating down a hill on a narrow one-way street.

STAR PETERSON: I just heard three bumps. And I - two of them were his left tires going over my leg.

ELLIOTT: Sporting neon pink pigtails and a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, Peterson, who is 38, uses a cane⁴ for walking now. She's had five surgeries and has not been able to go back to work due to the severity of her injuries.

PETERSON: So he broke both of my legs, two parts of my spine⁵ and one rib⁶. And then I also had a pretty big laceration that had to be sewn up.

ELLIOTT: Peterson plans to testify at the trial this week. James Fields is charged with first-degree murder and malicious⁷ woundings. Authorities say he deliberately⁸ plowed⁹ his car into the antiracist demonstration¹¹ and had earlier participated in the rally with chants promoting white supremacy¹².

Fields is a 21-year-old white man from Ohio. He's pleaded not guilty and has not spoken publicly since his arrest. Fields' court-appointed defense¹³ attorney declined to comment on the case. Key evidence from prosecutors¹⁴ will include graphic¹⁵ videos shared on social media by witnesses.

SUSAN BRO: I feel like court's going to be watching my daughter die again over and over and over.

ELLIOTT: Susan Bro is Heather Heyer's mother. She says no matter how difficult, she wants to see the case through.

BRO: I have never hated Mr. Fields because I've felt like he's in the hands of justice now. But I do pray that justice prevails here.

ELLIOTT: What does justice look like to you?

BRO: I don't know - at least locked away.

ELLIOTT: The broader community is also looking for justice as it seeks to reconcile the forces that made Charlottesville shorthand for racial strife¹⁶. Don Gathers is co-founder of the local chapter of Black Lives Matter.

DON GATHERS: Where we go from here, I don't - I don't know. As a society and as a world, we've got to figure out how to make Charlottesville more than just a hashtag again and more than just a blip on the racist¹⁰ history of this country.

ELLIOTT: Gathers has served on several citizen advisory¹⁷ panels, including a commission on race memorials and the police review board. He says there's been an awakening¹⁸, that this is a new civil rights battle.

GATHERS: So we've reached a point now that we've got to stop having the conversations about race and start talking about the real elephant in the room, which is racism¹⁹.

ELLIOTT: Addressing systemic racism is a goal of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, says President Brennan Gould. It's raised over a million dollars for the Heal Charlottesville fund.

BRENNAN GOULD: Part of what we heard from our community that was needed for the healing was opportunities to act, opportunities to really be good and honest about our collective history and also to start to act in ways that will help address the impacts of that history.

ELLIOTT: It's funded an initiative to increase teacher diversity, for instance. But Gould says the primary focus is helping²⁰ survivors²² with rent and utilities, medical bills and counseling.

GOULD: It seemed like the world had moved on, in a way. And yet, people were still very much living and dealing²³ with the consequence of that tragedy.

ELLIOTT: One way it helps survivors is through a grant to social worker Matthew Christensen at Partner for Mental Health. He serves as a navigator, helping people deal with things like filling out disability applications or finding accessible housing.

MATTHEW CHRISTENSEN: It's a lot of whatever they need.

ELLIOTT: Right now, they need help coping with the trial, which he says could be retraumatizing. But Christensen says it is an opportunity for accountability.

CHRISTENSEN: For the perpetrator to face real consequences - 'cause that's something that people struggle with, is not seeing the organizers, like Jason Kessler, Richard Spencer, face real consequences legally for organizing this rally.

ELLIOTT: While rally organizers have not been charged with any crime, they do face a civil lawsuit²⁴ brought by Charlottesville residents who sued under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. Four participants have been convicted related to the violence. Survivor²¹ Star Peterson is bracing²⁵ for her testimony²⁶. But she thinks justice will be elusive²⁷.

PETERSON: There can't really be justice. We can't undo²⁸ what's been done. We can't bring Heather back.

ELLIOTT: If convicted on the Virginia charges, Fields could be sentenced up to life in prison. He's also been indicted²⁹ on federal hate crime charges, which allow for the death penalty. Debbie Elliott, NPR News, Charlottesville, Va.

1 ramming   

n.打结炉底v.夯实（土等）( ram的现在分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• They are ramming earth down. 他们在夯实泥土。 来自辞典例句
• Father keeps ramming it down my throat that I should become a doctor. 父亲一直逼我当医生。 来自辞典例句

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 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

4 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

5 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

6 rib   

n.肋骨，肋状物

参考例句：

• He broke a rib when he fell off his horse.他从马上摔下来折断了一根肋骨。
• He has broken a rib and the doctor has strapped it up.他断了一根肋骨，医生已包扎好了。

7 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。

8 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

9 plowed   

v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• They plowed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland. 他们犁了将近10万英亩未开垦的高沼地。 来自辞典例句
• He plowed the land and then sowed the seeds. 他先翻土，然后播种。 来自辞典例句

10 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

11 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

12 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

13 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

14 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

15 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

16 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

17 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

18 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

19 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

20 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。

21 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

22 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

23 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。

24 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

25 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

26 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

27 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

28 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

29 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。