口译时事：奥巴马就黑人少年被杀案发声

2013-07-23 11:19:08来源：英语点津网

President Barack Obama has said that "Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago", in his first comments on the case since last week's verdict.

　　The unarmed black 17-year-old was shot and killed in Florida in February 2012.

　　George Zimmerman, 29, said he opened fire on the teenager in self-defence and was acquitted of murder by a Florida court last week.

　　In an unexpected press call, Mr Obama said very few black men in the US had not experienced racial profiling.

　　Mr Obama said the pain that African-Americans felt around the case came from the fact that they viewed it through "a set of experiences and a history that doesn't go away".

　　He said African Americans were also keenly aware of racial disparities in the application of criminal laws.

　　"That all contributes to a sense that if a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different," Mr Obama said.

　　He shared his experiences of being racially profiled in the past, such as being followed while out shopping.

　　"There are very few African-American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars.

　　"There are very few African-Americans who haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she has a chance to get off," he said.

　　'Soul-searching'

　　Mr Obama also hailed the "incredible grace and dignity" of Trayvon Martin's parents - Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton - in the way they reacted to the verdict.

　　Calling for "soul-searching" from Americans on issues of race, he also sounded a hopeful note, saying that race relations were improving with each generation.

　　Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton later issued a statement saying they were "deeply honoured and moved" by President Obama's comments.

　　"President Obama sees himself in Trayvon and identifies with him. This is a beautiful tribute to our boy," they said.

　　"We seek a future when a child can walk down the street and not worry that others see him as dangerous because of the colour of his skin or the clothes on his back."

　　Saturday's not guilty verdict for George Zimmerman from the all-female jury of six prompted nationwide protests, with further demonstrations planned for this weekend.

　　Mr Obama called for the protests to remain peaceful, saying any violence "dishonours what happened to Trayvon Martin".

　　He said that although criminal matters and law enforcement were traditionally dealt with on a state and not a federal level, it would be useful to examine some state and local laws to see if they encourage confrontation in certain situations.

　　On Wednesday, US Attorney General Eric Holder cited the case as he urged a nationwide review of "stand your ground" laws, such as those in place in Florida, which permit the use of deadly force if a person feels seriously threatened.

　　The issue was never raised during the trial, though the judge included a provision about the law in her instructions to the jury, allowing it to be considered as a legitimate defence.

　　综合外国媒体7月20日报道，在美国白人协警乔治齐默尔曼射杀黑人青年特雷翁马丁一案的判决出炉近一周后，美国总统奥巴马19日终于首度露面公开谈论此事，他以自己的黑人身份作比，称“马丁可能就是35年前的我”。

　奥巴马主动发声

　　当天，奥巴马出人意料地出现在白宫新闻发布室，第一次就马丁案的审判结果主动直面媒体。整个讲话长达近20分钟，被视为奥巴马担任美国总统以来最大胆、最广泛的言论。

　　“当特雷翁马丁被枪杀时，我曾说过，这件事可能发生在我的儿子身上。换个说法就是，特雷翁马丁也可能就是35年前的我。”现年52岁的奥巴马说，“你可以想想为什么，至少非洲裔美国人社群对此事的发生感到极大的痛楚。我认为重要的是，要意识到他们是通过亲身经历来看待此事，而这些并未成为过去。”

　　马丁是佛罗里达州桑福德市一名17岁的少年。2012年2月26日，他在回家途中被白人协警齐默尔曼视为“形迹可疑者”进而跟踪，两人随后发生扭打，齐默尔曼开枪将马丁打死。上周，佛罗里达州法庭裁定，齐默尔曼二级谋杀罪名不成立。

　　上述裁定在华盛顿、纽约、迈阿密、波士顿、旧金山和洛杉矶等美国多个城市引发抗议示威活动。当地时间20日，在100个美国城市的联邦大楼外还将举行新一轮的抗议示威。

　回忆过往现身说法

　　进入正题后不久，奥巴马提起了自己过去遭受的不公正待遇，“在这个国家，很少有非洲裔美国男子没有过在商场购物被跟踪的经历，我也一样；在这个国家，很少有非洲裔美国男子没有过在大街上行走时听到旁人忙不迭地锁上汽车门的经历，在我身上也曾经发生过这样的事，至少在我当选参议员之前是这样；在这个国家，很少有非洲裔美国男子没有过在乘坐电梯时看见一个妇女紧捂着钱包并且屏住呼吸直到她走出电梯为止的经历，类似的情况经常发生。”

　　奥巴马说自己并不想夸大其词，但这一系列的过往经历势必对非洲裔美国人社群如何解读马丁案产生影响。他还表示非洲裔美国人社群“强烈地感觉到”美国执法部门在施用法律时存在 “种族差异”。

　　“如果是一个白人少年卷入相同的案件，我想无论是结果还是后续处理都有可能完全不同。”奥巴马称，他能理解人们上街游行、抗议，但反对诉诸暴力。

　提出四点建议

　　在19日的讲话中，奥巴马提出四点建议。他认为，首先，有关部门应当考量美国的警察培训机制，“减少机制中有时存在的不信任感”，根除执行警务过程中存在的种族偏见。

　　其次，奥巴马呼吁重新审视诸如佛罗里达州“不退让法”之类的自卫法律。据悉，齐默尔曼被判二级谋杀罪名不成立的部分依据就是“不退让法”，该法规定若公民受到他人侵害，而公权又不能给予其应有的保护时，那么公民就有权使用致命武力来保护自己。对此，奥巴马要求大家反思，倘若马丁当时携带有武器，在被齐默尔曼跟踪后感到威胁，也拔枪射杀后者，是不是也会被认为践行了“不退让法”？“如果答案有丝毫含糊，那么在我看来就应该重新审视此类自卫法律，”奥巴马说。

　　奥巴马提出的第三点建议是，探索新方式令年轻一代的非洲裔美国人真正感觉到他们是美国社会的一份子，“有许多孩子需要帮助，他们接收了太多负面信息”。

　　最后，奥巴马肯定了一代又一代美国人民在改善种族关系方面取得了巨大的进步，但他指出“这并不意味着美国是一个超越种族的社会，也不意味着种族主义已被彻底消除”。由此，他希望美国人民能够诚实地自我审视，问问自己是不是真的没有偏见，“这是（马丁被杀）悲剧发生后应当采取的适宜之举”。

　公开表态引发争议

　　奥巴马发表公开讲话后，一些支持者认为他的表态具有里程碑意义。马丁的父母发表声明称对奥巴马的言论“深感荣幸和感动”，“奥巴马总统从特雷翁身上看到了自己、产生认同感，这是对我们逝去儿子的美丽致敬”。

　　然而，也有一些共和党人批评奥巴马将马丁案政治化。一些保守派人士在听完讲话后批评奥巴马在搞分裂，指责他以一个非洲裔美国人的身份发声，而不是代表整个国家讲话。

　　此前，已有美国观察家发出警告，在马丁案上奥巴马的表态很可能陷入政治引导和社会对立情绪的双重风险。

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