Betrayal In Black Quotes

“A racist cop pulls over a black driver for little reason other than the fact that the driver is black and a recent robbery was committed by a couple of young black guys in a white community. The cop quickly realizes the driver is not one of the robbery suspects. He sees a man with a wife and two small children. They are not a couple of young punks. Still,he persists. Why?
“He asks to see the driver’s license and registration. While locating the appropriate documents, the black driver respectfully volunteers that he is legally carrying a handgun. The cop panics—is it the image of a black man with a gun? He barks out conflicting orders and then shoots the man
to death, in front of his family. Why? “Is it because the cop is an insensitive racist? Maybe he wasn’t trained or taught any better? Perhaps he lived a completely different life in a completely different world than that of the black man. In this cop’s world, were all black men potential criminals, people to be watched, people to be feared?”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Can a black man get justice in a sea of white?”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Mr. Bialy said you were a good guy.”
“You don’t want a good guy representing you in situations like this one. You want a barracuda when it comes to dealing with bad cops, negligent police departments, and attorneys who represent them. They are afraid of me; they think I’m a bad guy. Please don’t give away my secret.” Sarah chuckles through her tears. He has an easy way about him. I hope he’s an ass-kicker in court.
“Your secret is safe with me, Zack.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“We’re fighting a form of institutional racism that dates back four hundred years, is embodied in our constitution, and is still alive and well here in the Detroit area.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Can a black man succeed today beyond his wildest imagination? Can he experience the so-called American dream? Sure he can! He can overcome bigotry and societal views and ideas that stand in his way. But that doesn’t mean that he, unlike his white counterpart, doesn’t have to rise above adverse societal views and bigotry. . .”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Has racial justice improved? Have we moved on from Reconstruction and Jim Crow? Been lifted by Martin and the Civil Rights Act of 1964? It seems that whenever we take two steps forward, we take a step back . . .”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“It is not fun to be pulled over by a police officer. We’re upset or anxious when we’re pulled over by the police. We often know what we did wrong and await the penalty, or we wonder what we did wrong and await the explanation. But, do we expect to be manhandled or abused by the officer? Do we fear that he might kill us? For black people, especially black men, those fears are too frequently an unfortunate reality.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Yes, he was a good man, but he was also a black man. And when you’re black, being good isn’t always enough.”
“No, sweetheart, it isn’t. A black man walks a different line, a tightrope. Sometimes that line is hard to see. That seems to be what happened here.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“We must try to see the world through a black person’s eyes, see hard truths and not unfairly judge those who deliver them. We need to see people—real people—not the stereotypes handed down by previous generations.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Until cops stop treating blacks differently than whites, we’re going to have problems.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Every time our people take two steps forward, it seems that we take a step and a half backward. Things are changing for the better, but when you wear your difference on your face, when the color of your skin defines who you are to others, change doesn’t come easy…”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“This is not a great time to be black in America.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“The bottom line is the driver was twenty to twenty-five years older than the robbery suspect. Both husband and wife were college- educated, middle-class American citizens, like you and me.”
“Except that they were black, and we are not,” Jennifer states the obvious.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“What made you suspicious of this person?”
“He seemed out of place.”
“How do you mean?”
“He didn’t fit the profile of a resident.”
“Was he white or black?”
Jones breaks eye contact and stares at the floor.
“He was black, sir,” Jones says to the floor.
“Thank you, Officer Jones. We’ll be in touch.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“It’s up to us, all citizens, regardless of background, to step up to the
plate and address these issues. We need to share our life experiences and offer honest appraisals of the problems we face. We need to do it at kitchen tables all over the nation. In schools, we need to educate our children to celebrate diversity rather than fight or kill over it. We need to promote our core values at home and abroad. That begins with citizens and police officers respecting each other and treating each other as each of us would want to be treated.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“No white person could possibly understand what it is like to be black in America, even someone like me, a descendant of Holocaust victims and survivors.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Would cops really ignore her cry for help because of the lawsuit?”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“The cop’s suspended with pay. With pay, Mama! My husband is dead, and his killer gets a paid vacation? What kind of justice is that?”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Her heart aches for her daughter. She is doing the only thing a mother can do under tragic circumstances. She sits by her daughter’s side and listens as the younger woman pours her heart out.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“How do people stand for this? How many people have to die before we rise up and say ‘enough is enough?”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“His fear may have been race-related. You’d have to ask him. To me, a law-abiding citizen is a law-abiding citizen, regardless of race. So yes, I believe the result would have been different had I been the officer. I don’t believe I’d have pulled this couple over in the first place.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“So, why the traffic stop when the officer admits that the driver did nothing wrong? To this impartial observer, those facts suggest Mr. Hayes was pulled over for driving while black and the shooting was the worst result of a bad stop.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“The Burger King robbery was committed by a couple of black kids, so that fact justifies pulling over EVERY black guy?”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Marcus tries to stay calm for the sake of his family.
“I’m not asking. Step out of the damned car!” The officer is becoming unglued.
“I’m getting out, damn you, but, here, let me just show you my—”
“Don’t reach. Stop!”
“I’m getting what you asked for, just going to show you my—”
“Put your hands where I can see them!” The officer snarls.
“Jesus H. Christ, officer. I’m not—”
Thunderous shots ring out, and Marcus slumps away from the dash, back toward the driver’s seat.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Lawsuits hold these bastards accountable and make the world safer. Of course, you disagree; everyone you represent is innocent. Is that what you’re suggesting?”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Understanding, celebrating, and teaching our First Amendment rights are our true tickets to understanding the fundamental freedoms that make this country great. A great leader realizes that he or she represents both the flag wavers and the flag burners.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“I’m just thinking. I guess I’m a little worried about our current political climate. The country, the state, and even the city . . . we are very divided, maybe more divided than any time in recent history. The silent underbelly of racist attitudes has become far more emboldened.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“This smells like a case of driving while black through a
predominately white community.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“I don’t want any civil rights marches in our city — they are not good for our image.”
“Neither is an officer-involved shooting of an innocent black man who was pulled over for no apparent reason.”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black

“Is this a racial thing, a gun thing, or both?”
― Mark M. Bello, Betrayal In Black