VOA慢速英语2013 齐默尔曼谋杀案裁决引发种族歧视抗议（在线收听）

Racial Protests, Possible Civil Rights Charges in Zimmerman Case 齐默尔曼谋杀案裁决引发种族歧视抗议

From VOA Learning English, this is “In The News.”

美国之音慢速学英语节目，这里是时事新闻。

Americans continue to react to the decision in the murder trial of George Zimmerman. Last week, a jury in the southern state of Florida found that he was not guilty in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

美国人继续对乔治·齐默曼(George Zimmerman)谋杀案的审判决定作出反应。上周，南部佛罗里达州陪审团决定，他枪杀17岁男子特雷沃恩·马丁(Trayvon Martin)无罪。

The unarmed teenager was killed last year in a struggle with the defendant. At the time, George Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer in his community in Florida. Trayvon Martin, an African American, was walking to the home of his father’s girlfriend at the time of the killing.

去年，这名手无寸铁的少年跟被告打斗期间被杀害。当时，乔治·齐默曼(George Zimmerman)在佛罗里达一个社区担任巡查员志愿者。特雷沃恩·马丁(Trayvon Martin)是一名非裔美国人，被杀害时正在步行前往父亲未婚妻家的途中。

George Zimmerman is a white Hispanic man. He called police to report Trayvon Martin as a suspicious person in the neighborhood. He followed the teenager, although police told him not to. The two fought. Mr. Zimmerman says he acted in self-defense after he was attacked by the young man.

乔治·齐默曼(George Zimmerman)是一名西班牙裔白人。他报警称在社区发现特雷沃恩·马丁(Trayvon Martin)非常可疑。他追踪了这名青少年，尽管警察告诉他不要这样做。两人打斗起来。齐默曼称自己在受到这名年轻人的袭击之后作出自卫行为。

Under Florida law, people can use deadly force to fight back if they feel their lives are in danger.

根据佛罗里达州的法律，人们在生命处于危险境地时可以使用致命力量进行还击。

Soon after the six woman jury reached its decision on Saturday, people used social media and public protests to express their opinion about the verdict.

周六，由六名女性组成的陪审团作出决定后不久，人们纷纷通过社交媒体和公共抗议活动来表达自己对该判决的看法。

“No justice. No peace. Trayvon! Justice for Trayvon!” 

“没有正义就没有和平。特雷沃恩！还特雷沃恩以正义！”

Many protests have been held across the United States since the trial. Hundreds of people demonstrated in Chicago, Illinois. They expressed opposition to what activist Dickey Gaines says was a predetermined verdict -- one reached before the trial.

自审判以来，美国各地举行了许多抗议活动。数百人在伊利诺伊州的芝加哥举行了示威游行。他们表达了反对意见，就如活动积极分子Dickey Gaines所说，这是预先决定的判决——在审判之前就已经做出了决定。

“Because there was a lot of people across this country that was in favor of George Zimmerman being acquitted by virtue of them donating money to his defense, so that was a clear indication early on people was in support of him being acquitted in this case.”          

“因为全国各地许多人支持齐默曼宣判无罪，他们捐款赞助辩护过程，所以，很早就有迹象表明人们支持他在该案件中被判无罪。”               

Casey David Cole Senior was one such supporter. He spoke to reporters near the Sanford, Florida courthouse, where the trial took place.

Casey David Cole Senior是支持者之一。他在审判进行的佛罗里达州桑福德法庭附近接受了记者的采访。

“I’m here to express my opinion.  I believe that George Zimmerman is an innocent man.” 

“我来这里是为了表达自己的看法。我相信乔治·齐默曼(George Zimmerman)是无辜的。”

For Chicago protester Bryan Burroughs, the case is clear in his mind.

对芝加哥抗议者Bryan Burroughs来说，该案件在他的脑海中非常明晰。

“Trayvon Martin was guilty of nothing but being black in a mostly white neighborhood.” 

“特雷沃恩·马丁(Trayvon Martin)没有任何错，错就错在他是一个黑人，住在几乎都是白人的社区。”

Activist Dickey Gaines says the ruling has not changed his belief that George Zimmerman targeted the teenager because he was black.

活动积极分子Dickey Gaines表示，该判决丝毫没有改变他的看法。他相信因为这名青少年是黑人而受到乔治·齐默曼的故意针对。

“He focused on Trayvon because of Trayvon’s skin color.”

“他跟踪特雷沃恩就是因为他的肤色是黑的。”

Hans von Spakovsky works for the Heritage Foundation research group here in Washington. He says the legal action against Mr. Zimmerman should end now.

Hans von Spakovsky在华盛顿传统基金会研究小组工作。他表示，对乔治·齐默曼(George Zimmerman)的诉讼应该结束了。

“If the Justice Department continues to pursue this case when, one, he’s been found innocent and, two, we know there’s no racial animus which is necessary for a civil rights violation, that once again makes it look like politics is driving the prosecution, not justice.” 

“如果司法部门继续追究该案件，第一，最终还是会发现他是无辜的，第二，我们知道不存在任何种族敌意，这对于践踏民权案来说是必须的。这再次表明是政治推动起诉过程，而不是正义。”

Racial inequality in the United States goes back centuries. The issue of slavery was a major reason for the nation’s civil war in the 1860s. But discrimination continued after black slaves were freed. And racial tensions still exist.

美国的种族不平等可以追溯到几百年前。奴隶制度是1860年美国内战的主要原因。但是黑人奴隶获得自由后，种族歧视仍然继续。种族之间的紧张关系仍然存在。

Greg Carr is chairman of Afro-American Studies at Howard University, a historically black college here in Washington.

Greg Carr是霍华德大学黑人研究机构的主席，这是位于华盛顿的一家传统黑人大学。

“One thing that’s tangible that can come out of this verdict is a renewed commitment to addressing people, and not looking to the courts -- not looking to the law to somehow regulate or change people’s hearts and minds.” 

“有一点是非常明确的，该判决提醒人们，不要期望法院和法律在某种程度上调节和改变人们的内心和思想。”

Mr. Carr warns that if a civil rights case were brought against George Zimmerman and lost, it would increase the distrust of many people. But if such a case were won, he says, Americans would look to the courts, not within themselves, for racial healing.

Carr警告称，如果对乔治·齐默曼(George Zimmerman)进行民权案件审判并且败诉，会增加许多人的不信任感。但是如果获胜，美国人就会期待法庭，而不是期待自己的内心来调节种族纷争。

And that’s “In The News” from VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember

以上就是今天的美国之音学英语时事新闻节目。我是Steve Ember。