The wintry whiteout that swept across half the United States over the weekend could not erase what the country had just seen unfold in Minneapolis. No amount of snow could block out the images: furious protesters clashing with masked officers, clouds of tear gas wafting through neighborhoods — and for the second time in three weeks, video of an American citizen being shot dead by a federal agent.

上週末，一場暴風雪席捲半個美國，天地一片白茫茫，卻無法抹去全美民眾剛目睹的明尼阿波利斯所發生的一切。再多的積雪也擋不住那些畫面：怒不可遏的抗議者與蒙面執法人員發生衝突，催淚瓦斯的煙霧在社區街巷瀰漫——而這也是三週內，民眾第二次看到美國公民遭聯邦探員槍殺的影片。

And for the second time in three weeks, the Trump administration’s account of a deadly shooting contradicted what many in the country believe they saw. Federal officials described both victims as “domestic terrorists” intent on harming federal agents; critics of the administration, and many others, said such a description was belied by the video evidence.

同樣是三週內第二次，川普政府對這起致命槍擊事件的描述與全美許多人相信自己親眼所見的情況相矛盾。聯邦官員稱兩名遇難者均為意圖傷害聯邦探員的「本土恐怖分子」，而政府的批評者及眾多民眾表示，影片證據戳穿了這種說法。

Scenes from the violent unrest in Minneapolis played on a loop throughout the weekend, overshadowing the extreme weather and two N.F.L. playoff games. The images conveyed the unmistakable sense of consequence, of a watershed moment, prompting reflections about what the nation stands for, and where it is heading. Minneapolis seemed close, no matter where one lived.

明尼阿波利斯暴力動盪的畫面在週末全程循環播放，蓋過了極端天氣和兩場國家橄欖球聯盟季後賽的風頭。這些畫面傳遞出一種無可辯駁的沉重後果，昭示著這是一個歷史分水嶺，也讓人們開始反思這個國家的立國之本，以及它的未來方向。無論身處美國何處，人們都覺得明尼阿波利斯彷彿近在咫尺。

In Georgia, a high school teacher anticipated the questions his students would ask about the latest shooting death. In Indiana, broadcasts of the violence dampened a 97th birthday celebration. In Iowa, a married couple, on an outing with their autistic son, disagreed about what had happened, while in Wisconsin, a supporter of President Trump marveled at what she considered the stupidity of some protesters.

在喬治亞州，一位高中老師揣測著學生們會就最新的槍擊致死事件提出怎樣的問題；在印第安納州，暴力事件的新聞播報讓一場97歲的壽宴興緻全無；在愛荷華州，一對夫婦帶著患有自閉症的兒子外出，卻為明尼阿波利斯的事產生分歧；而在威斯康辛州，一位川普的支持者對她眼中部分抗議者的愚蠢行為感到匪夷所思。

And in Rhode Island, a snowbound student at Brown University cried when he saw the video from Saturday of immigration officers pepper-spraying Alex Pretti, a 37- year-old registered nurse, wrestling him to the cold Minneapolis ground, and shooting him to death.

在羅得島州，布朗大學的一名學生因暴雪被困校園，當他看到週六的影片畫面時，忍不住落淚——移民執法人員向37歲的註冊護士亞歷克斯·普雷蒂噴射胡椒噴霧，將他按在明尼阿波利斯冰冷的地面上，最終開槍將其射殺。

“I didn’t get any sleep last night,” the student, Jack DiPrimio, 23, said on Sunday. “The video was just replaying over and over again in my head.”

23歲的學生傑克·迪普裡米奧週日說，「我昨晚一夜沒合眼，那個影片在我腦海裡反覆回放。」

The weekend’s turn of events in Minnesota began with a campaign promise. Since returning to office a year ago, President Trump has sought to make good on his vow to rid the country of undocumented immigrants he describes as criminals.

明尼蘇達州這個週末的局勢突變，源於川普的一則競選承諾。自一年前重返白宮以來，川普一直試圖兌現誓言，將那些被他稱作罪犯的無證移民驅逐出境。

Agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have carried out sweeps in a succession of Democrat-controlled cities, all the while being dogged by protesters. Critics have denounced the operations as cruel, often unconstitutional, fraught with mistaken or improper detentions — even un-American.

美國移民與海關執法局的探員已在多個民主黨控制的城市接連開展突擊執法，始終遭到抗議者追堵抗議。批評者痛斥這些執法行動冷酷無情，往往違憲，還充斥著誤拘、不當拘留的行為，甚至違背美國精神。

In December, ICE turned to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area with a focus on its large Somali community. The Trump administration has blamed an ongoing fraud scandal in Minnesota, involving billions of dollars in federal funding, on the state’s Somali immigrants, whom Mr. Trump demonized as “garbage” in comments widely denounced as bigoted.

去年12月，移民與海關執法局將執法重心轉向明尼阿波利斯-聖保羅地區，重點針對當地規模龐大的索馬利亞移民社區。川普政府將明尼蘇達州一起涉案金額達數十億美元的聯邦資金詐騙醜聞歸咎於當地索馬利亞裔移民，還曾將他們污衊為「垃圾」，這番言論因種族偏見遭到廣泛譴責。

Then, on Jan. 7, an ICE agent fired three times into an S.U.V. as it was pulling away from a confrontation, killing the 37-year-old driver, Renee Good. Federal officials have maintained that the agent acted in self-defense, while state and local officials have disputed that account of the fatal moment, which was filmed from several angles.

隨後在1月7日，一輛運動型多用途汽車在與執法人員對峙後駛離時，一名移民與海關執法局探員朝車輛連開三槍，導致37歲的司機勒妮·古德身亡。聯邦官員堅稱探員是出於自衛開槍，而州及地方官員則對這一說法提出質疑，這一致命瞬間被多個角度的鏡頭記錄了下來。

Tensions continued to escalate all month, with furious protests, arrests and the shooting and wounding of a Venezuelan man by an immigration officer.

整個1月，緊張局勢持續升級，抗議活動愈演愈烈，多人被捕，一名委內瑞拉男子還遭移民執法人員開槍打傷。

Then: Saturday.

然後，到了週六。

Mr. Pretti, a nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital with no criminal record, was using his cellphone to record a protest when he stepped between a woman and an immigration agent who was pepper spraying her. As he, too, was hit with pepper spray, several agents threw him to the ground and, in the ensuing scrum, saw that he had a gun, which he never drew and was legally carrying

普雷蒂是退伍軍人事務醫院的護士，無任何犯罪記錄。當時他正用手機拍攝抗議活動，在一名執法人員向一名女子噴射胡椒噴霧時，他走到兩人之間試圖阻止。隨後他自己也被胡椒噴霧噴到，幾名執法人員將他摔倒在地。在隨後的混亂中，執法人員發現他身上攜帶有槍枝——但他自始至終未掏出槍，且該槍枝為合法持有。

They opened fire, in a brutal scene that was witnessed, recorded and quickly shared.

執法人員隨即開槍，這一殘忍的畫面被現場民眾目睹、拍攝後，迅速傳播開來。

As the inclement weather brought much of the country to a standstill, many people could not help but see the disturbing video, hear the Trump administration’s rushed justifications — including the unsubstantiated claim by Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol official, that Mr. Pretti had been out to “massacre law enforcement” — and ruminate.

在極端天氣讓美國大部分地區陷入停滯之際，許多人難以避免地看到了這段令人不安的影片，聽到川普政府倉促給出的各種辯解——其中包括邊境巡邏隊高級官員格雷格·博維諾毫無實據的說法，他稱普雷蒂意圖「屠殺執法人員」——人們陷入了深深的沉思。

In Crown Point, Ind., more than a dozen family members gathered Saturday night to celebrate the 97th birthday of Jerry Weber. But they found themselves glued to the television and the disturbing reports from Minnesota, including another shooting death.

在印第安納州的克朗波因特，上週六晚，十幾名家人齊聚一堂，為傑裡·韋伯慶祝97歲壽辰。但他們卻目不轉睛地盯著電視，關注著明尼蘇達州傳來的令人揪心的報導，其中就包括又一起槍擊致死事件。

“It’s kind of like living in your own world and living in a second world at the same time,” said Mr. Weber’s son, Gerry Weber, a civil rights attorney. “We drove through a snowstorm to get to our family’s house and celebrate dad’s birthday, and then we’re back to the television, watching America fall apart.”

「這感覺就像同時活在兩個世界裡，一個是自己的世界，一個是另一個世界，」傑裡的兒子、民權律師格裡·韋伯說。「我們冒著暴風雪驅車趕到家裡為父親慶生，可轉眼又盯著電視，看著美國走向分崩離析。」

Mr. Weber had flown in from the Atlanta area, where Ray Brown, 40, who teaches advanced-placement U.S. history at Northview High School, in Johns Creek, Ga., was also trying to process what was happening in Minnesota — and how he would respond to questions from his students about the constitutionality, and propriety, of the government’s actions.

韋伯從亞特蘭大地區專程乘飛機趕來，與此同時，在喬治亞州約翰斯凱瑞克市的北景高中，40歲的雷·布朗老師正在教授美國大學先修課程的歷史課，他也在努力梳理明尼蘇達州所發生的一切，思考該如何回答學生們提出的問題——關於政府這些行為的合憲性與正當性。

The teacher said that he tries to give his students, many of whom are from immigrant families, the space to question why certain federal departments exist.

這位老師說，他的許多學生都來自移民家庭，他會給學生們留出空間，讓他們去質疑某些聯邦部門存在的意義。

“I’m going to have to present a very diplomatic view,” Mr. Brown said. “Which is revolting to hear myself say, because I think that taking a life is wrong, no matter what.”

「我不得不擺出一種非常圓滑的立場，」布朗說。「連我自己說出來都覺得反感，因為我認為，無論如何，剝奪他人的生命都是錯誤的。」

In many frozen corners, people expressed admiration for the protesters in Minneapolis, as well as a resolve to follow their lead.

在全美諸多被冰雪覆蓋的角落，人們既對明尼阿波利斯的抗議者表達敬佩，也下定決心要以他們為榜樣採取行動。

In south-central Pennsylvania, Brandie Kessler, a communications professional, spent Saturday night at the home of her in-laws just outside of Harrisburg. After arriving, she made a mordant comment to her mother-in-law as they sat in the living room.

在賓夕法尼亞州中南部，42歲的公關從業者布蘭迪·凱斯勒上週六晚間來到哈利斯堡郊外公婆家中。她剛進門在客廳坐下，就針對時局對婆婆發出了一番辛辣的感慨。

“I said, kind of sarcastically, ‘I guess I need to prepare my own obituary in case there’s something that happens at a demonstration here,’” Ms. Kessler, 42, recalled. “In case I go out to peacefully protest — which I am completely entitled to do — and I’m gunned down.”

「我當時帶著諷刺的口氣說：『看來我得提前給自己寫好訃告了，萬一這邊的抗議活動出什麼事呢，』」凱斯勒回憶。「萬一我去參加和平抗議——這是我完全有權做的事——卻被人槍殺了呢。」

On Sunday morning, with snow blanketing the rolling landscape outside, Ms. Kessler felt frustrated, even disoriented, by what was happening, and not just in Minnesota. The polarization. The violence. The deaths.

週日清晨，屋外起伏的地勢被白雪覆蓋，凱斯勒為當下發生的一切感到沮喪，甚至茫然，而這份情緒不僅因明尼蘇達州的事件而起，還有國家的兩極分化、不斷發生的暴力衝突、一條條逝去的生命。

“I don't know everything there is to know about what happened in Minneapolis,” Ms. Kessler said, her voice breaking. “But I know what I saw. I don’t know how someone could watch the same thing and say everything is OK.”

「我並不了解明尼阿波利斯事件的全部真相，」凱斯勒的聲音哽咽了。「但我知道自己看到了什麼。我實在無法理解，為什麼有人看著同樣的畫面，卻能說一切都沒問題。」

Sandi Lipinski, a sales director in Waukesha, Wis., was not suggesting that everything was OK, but after going to church and running a few errands on Sunday, she shared a decidedly different view.

威斯康辛州沃基肖市的銷售總監桑迪·利平斯基並未聲稱一切正常，但週日去教堂做完禮拜、辦了幾件雜事後，她表達了截然不同的觀點。

She said she supported President Trump’s efforts to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. And she expressed little sympathy for protesters who are following ICE agents around and sometimes taunting them.

她說自己支持川普政府拘留並驅逐無證移民的舉措，並且對那些追著移民與海關執法局探員並時常嘲諷他們的抗議者毫無同情。

“They are going to carry guns and use cars as weapons, then they run the risk of getting killed,” Ms. Lipinski, 62, said. “That’s just stupidity. They should stay home or go to work or go to school and stay out of the street and let everybody do their own jobs.”

「他們帶著槍，把汽車當作武器，那就得承擔喪命的風險，」62歲的利平斯基說。「這純屬愚蠢。他們該待在家裡，要麼上班、上學，別上街，讓每個人各司其職。」

Other stunning developments unfolded last week, including the Trump administration’s resolve to acquire Greenland. But the crisis in Minnesota seemed to dominate the nation’s collective thoughts.

上週還發生了其他令人震驚的事件，包括川普政府執意取得格陵蘭島。但明尼蘇達州的這場危機，似乎佔據了全美民眾的所有思緒。

In Waterville, Maine, Nancy Smith sat behind the counter of her store, Smitty’s Book Cellar, and thought about Minnesota — and the similar ICE operation that started last week in her own state. “I don’t want the same things to happen here,” Ms. Smith, 55, said. “I don’t want the same things to happen anywhere.”

在緬因州的沃特維爾，南希·史密斯坐在自家書店「史密斯書窖」的櫃檯後面，心裡滿是對明尼蘇達州的擔憂——而移民與海關執法局上週也在緬因州啟動了類似的執法行動。「我不希望這樣的事發生在這裡，」55歲的史密斯說道。「我不希望這樣的事發生在任何地方。」

In Atlanta, Jamie Christy, a 30-year-old lawyer who heads her neighborhood’s Young Republican chapter, did not see the video of Mr. Pretti’s shooting until taking a lunch break on Sunday. Soon she was replaying it again and again, at full and partial speed, to see what could have necessitated the use of deadly force.

在亞特蘭大，30歲的律師傑米·克里斯蒂是所在社區青年共和黨分部的負責人，她直到週日午休時才看到普雷蒂遭槍殺的影片。很快，她開始反覆播放這段影片，時而正常速度，時而慢放，想弄明白究竟是什麼情況，讓執法人員非使用致命武力不可。

“It’s completely unjustified,” she said.

「這完全沒有道理，」她說。

And at an upscale mall in West Des Moines, Iowa, where the temperature was in the single digits, a married couple, Jennifer Stitz and Don Caves, finished their food-court meal on Sunday evening while trying to find common ground on Minnesota and the country. Mr. Caves’s 18-year-old son, Carsten, sat nearby, playing a game on a tablet.

在愛荷華州的西得梅因，氣溫只有零下十來度，一家高檔購物中心裡，珍妮佛·斯蒂茨和丈夫唐·凱夫斯週日晚上在美食廣場吃完飯後，試圖就明尼蘇達州的事件和國家現狀達成共識。凱夫斯18歲的兒子卡斯滕坐在一旁，用平板玩著遊戲。

Mr. Caves, a high school Bible teacher, and Ms. Stitz, an accountant, both voted for Mr. Trump in 2024. But as they discussed the shooting deaths in Minneapolis, their viewpoints diverged.

62歲的凱夫斯是高中聖經課老師，54歲的斯蒂茨是會計師，兩人在2024年都把票投給了川普。但在談論明尼阿波利斯的兩起槍擊致死事件時，他們的觀點出現了分歧。

Mr. Caves, 62, said that the shootings were “absolutely terrible,” but he maintained that Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti had put themselves in harm’s way.

凱夫斯稱這些槍擊事件「糟糕透頂」，但他仍認為，古德和普雷蒂是將自己置於危險的境地。

“I just don’t understand why people would interfere in other people doing their job, especially law enforcement,” Mr. Caves said. “Get out of their way. They’ve got guns.”

凱夫斯說，「我就是無法理解，為什麼有人要幹涉他人工作，尤其是執法人員的公務，別擋他們的路，他們有槍。」

He said he supported peaceful protest, but added: "Don’t get in the way between point A and point B, the good guys going and getting the bad guys. And that’s the situation that our officers have been facing.”

他表示自己支持和平抗議，但又說：「別擋在好人去捉壞人的行動路線上。而我們的執法人員一直面臨著這樣的處境。」

Ms. Stitz, 54, listened quietly — and then disagreed.

54歲的斯蒂茨安靜地聽著，隨後表達了不同意見。

She said she was troubled by both deaths in Minneapolis. Mr. Pretti, she said, had “every right” to carry a gun, and ICE agents could have simply let Ms. Good drive away and then trace her through her license plate. Both victims, she said, had the right to protest.

她說，明尼阿波利斯的兩起死亡事件都讓她深感不安。普雷蒂「完全有權」持有槍枝，而移民與海關執法局的探員本可以任由古德開車離開，再通過車牌追蹤到她。她說，兩名遇難者都有抗議的權利。

“This is not China or a communist country where, you know, you get killed for protesting,” Ms. Stitz said. She added: “Something needs to change, is what I feel.”

「這又不是中國或者共產主義國家，你知道的，在那裡抗議會喪命，」斯蒂茨說。她又補充道，「我認為必須有所改變。」

The mall was closing. The couple gathered up their leftover food and, with Mr. Caves’s son, headed out into the night’s unforgiving cold.

購物中心即將關門。夫婦倆收拾好剩餘食物，帶著凱夫斯的兒子，走進了夜色中刺骨的嚴寒裡。