VOA慢速英语2021--乔治弗洛伊德谋杀案在明尼苏达州开庭

A trial of a white former police officer charged with murdering a Black man last year started Monday in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

During opening statements, government lawyers showed the video of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin pressing his knee on George Floyd's neck during an arrest.

They told the jurors to remember 9 minutes and 29 seconds. That was the time that Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck. In the video, Floyd repeatedly called out for help. He said he could not breathe and that he was going to die.

The video of the May 25 arrest last year led to months of huge demonstrations¹ in America and elsewhere against police abuse of people of color. Chauvin is charged with several counts of murder. He has pled not guilty to all.

Jerry Blackwell is the government lawyer leading the case against Chauvin. He told the court that the officer used "excessive and unreasonable²" force in the arrest. "He was defenseless," Blackwell said of Floyd. "He wasn't resistant⁴."

But defense³ lawyer Eric Nelson told the court that Chauvin was simply doing his job as a police officer. "Derek Chauvin did exactly what he had been trained to do in his 19-year career" to restrain Floyd after he had resisted arrest.

Nelson said medical evidence will show that there were no signs that Floyd died because he could not breathe. The lawyer said the man died from other health issues, including high blood pressure and drug use.

Biden watching closely

At the White House Monday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that President Joe Biden will be watching the trial "closely."

Before the trial started, Floyd family lawyer Benjamin Crump and other supporters knelt in honor of Floyd outside the courthouse. Crump said, "America, this is the moment to show the rest of the world...there is liberty and justice for all."

Court records show the jury in the case includes six white women, two white men, three Black men, one Black woman and two multiracial women.

The city of Minneapolis agreed recently to pay Floyd's family $27 million in damages to settle their claims of abuse in the case.

Words in This Story

excessive – adj. too much; too many

plead – v. to say in court that you are either guilty or not guilty of a crime : to make a plea

1 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

2 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

3 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。

4 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。