VOA慢速英语2015 美国警方:摩托车帮派危害公众安全

AS IT IS 2015-05-20 US Police: Biker Gangs Threaten Public Safety 美国警方:摩托车帮派危害公众安全

Texas police are guarding against violence after a clash¹ between competing motorcycle gangs. Nine people were killed in the fighting last Sunday in the city of Waco, Texas. Waco police say they seized more than 100 guns and arrested about 170 people. It was one of the worst gunfights in recent United States history.

The gunfight has led police and others to look closely at motorcycle gangs – bikers who travel together on their motorcycles. Law enforcement officials say such groups are a great threat to public safety.

Police say the gunfight in Waco was a clash between a large Texas-based gang, called the Bandidos, and smaller gangs, including one called the Cossacks.

Sergeant² Patrick Swanton is a member of the Waco Police Department.

“I will tell you that in 34 years of law enforcement, this is the worst crime scene, the most violent crime scene, that I have ever been involved in.”

Sergeant Swanton says police knew the gangs were gathering³ in Waco and followed them closely as they travelled to the city. Some police officers were sent to a Waco restaurant. Sergeant Swanton says they were prepared to take action if the two sides fought.

“We were extremely fortunate to have our best, most well-trained officers here, and that was our tactical unit. They were here for the specific reason, of we knew there was going to be trouble at this biker event.”

Sergeant Swanton says the gang members fired at each other, and some also fired at the police. But only gang members were wounded or killed.

Federal and state officials say the Bandidos gang has about 2,000 members. They say it is involved in the transport of illegal drugs and other kinds of organized crime. The Bandidos was formed in south Texas in the 1960s. It now has allied⁴ chapters, or smaller groups, in other states and in several countries.

James Quinn teaches sociology⁵ at the University of North Texas. He has studied biker gangs. He says one chapter can operate differently from another. He notes that some gangs have what he calls a sophisticated⁶ membership⁷ that is active in organized crime. Other chapters appeal to those interested in riding, drinking or making friends.

Professor Quinn says men join motorcycle gangs for different reasons. In his words, “A lot of them are looking for excitement and camaraderie⁸, and you have got other people that are looking for opportunities to launch organized crime.” He and other experts on gangs say members are required to defend any member who is threatened by an outsider.

The Hell’s Angels biker group is based in California. It competes with the Bandidos for members. Hell’s Angels is much larger than the Bandidos. Yet both groups have chapters throughout the country and the world. The two groups have clashed⁹ in Australia, Western Europe and Canada.

Canadian reporter Julian Sher has written two books about the gangs.

“More than 160 people were killed, most of them biker gang members, but some civilians¹⁰, when the Bandidos and the Hell’s Angels fought it out on the streets of the province of Quebec. The Bandidos and the Hell’s Angels fought it out in Europe for control of the drug trade there. So the Bandidos have a long history of violence.”

Mr. Sher says the level of violence may decrease for a time after the gunfight in Waco. But he says the two sides will fight again someday because biker gangs always fight.

“The image of the biker gangs really never changes. This is what they are about. This is their very nature and it was just pure luck that there were no innocent people killed in that shoot-out, but there have been cases where innocent people have been killed.”

Most of those arrested in Waco belong to the Bandidos group. City officials are worried that other Bandidos members could travel to Waco and fight with members of competing groups who are still there. State police and federal officials are in Waco to help local police investigate the gunfight and to prevent more violence.

Words in This Story

fortunate – adj. having good luck

tactical unit – n. a part of a police department or military force whose members are trained to deal with specific acts or incidents

specific – adj. relating to an actual person or situation

chapter – n. the people in one area who make up part of a larger organization; part of a book

sophisticated – adj. highly developed or complex

camaraderie – n. a feeling of friendship among people

nature – n. the way that a person or animal behaves; the character or personality of a person or animal

1 clash   

vi.冲突，不协调，砰地相撞；n.冲突，不协调

参考例句：

• There is a clash between two classes at 2 p.m. on Thursday.星期四下午两点有两堂课是冲突的。
• The pot came down on the stone floor with a clash.锅“当”地一声掉到石地上。

2 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

5 sociology   

n.社会学，社会关系学，群落生态学

参考例句：

• He is studying sociology.他正研究社会学。
• A pioneer of legal sociology in Germany was Max Weber.德国法律社会学的先驱是马克斯·韦伯。

6 sophisticated   

adj.老练的，精密的，尖端的，高雅的

参考例句：

• She has become very sophisticated since she went to live in London.移居伦敦后她变得世故多了。
• This is a very sophisticated machine.这是一台非常精密的机器。

7 membership   

n.成员资格，会员全体，从属关系

参考例句：

• I must renew my membership of the sailing club.我必须延续我的航海俱乐部会员的资格。
• He made up his mind to apply for membership in the Party.他决心申请入党。

8 camaraderie   

n.同志之爱，友情

参考例句：

• The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable.同事之间的情谊使枯燥乏味的工作变得还能忍受。
• Some bosses are formal and have occasional interactions,while others prefer continual camaraderie.有些老板很刻板，偶尔才和下属互动一下；有些则喜欢和下属打成一片。

9 clashed   

发出撞击声（clash的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The color of the curtains clashed with the color of the carpet. 窗帘的颜色与地毯的颜色不协调。
• Her wedding clashed with my examination, so I couldn't go. 她的婚礼与我的考试冲突，因此我无法参加。

10 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。