Michigan Author Takes the Traditional Legal Thriller in Bold New Directions by Exploring Racism and Police Violence

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich., July 17, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Deadly police shootings of unarmed citizens across the U.S. have sparked some of the most fervent national protests in recent years. The outcry has been made even stronger because a majority of the cases involve African-American suspects being pursued by police.

The latest incident occurred in Pennsylvania after an officer stopped a car with three African American youths inside because it matched the description of a car reportedly involved in a shooting about 15 minutes earlier. As the officer took the driver into custody, the two passengers fled on foot. The officer quickly fired three shots, all of which struck one of the teens who later died at the hospital.

The young man did not pull a gun on the officer; he didn't even have one in his possession at the time he ran. The officer was not at risk; how could he be scared for his own life if the teen was running away from him? So, how does the officer justify firing three shots?

Freddie Gray, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Philando Castile, Stephon Clark, and Antwon Rose. All unarmed black men. All shot by police officers. All robbed of the right to life by the people who were meant to protect them.

There seems to be a "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality. However, the narrative of law enforcement all across the country for shooting unarmed people of color is the same – they had no other choice. Yet, time after time, the evidence shows the contrary.

There is no guarantee, nor straightforward way, to relegate racism to the pages of history; we must change the way we think and feel, what we say, and what we do. One way attorney/author Mark M. Bello is expressing his outrage over incidents like these is through his novels.

Betrayal in Black is the fourth novel in the Zachary Blake Betrayal Series. Although fiction, Betrayal in Black pays homage to the 2016 Black Lives Matter movement, exploring police brutality and racism in modern America. "In writing the book, I aim to raise awareness for the voices that have been lost in the sea of social media and politics," said Bello. "You don't have to be black to believe that black lives matter." Betrayal in Black is tentatively slated for publication in January 2019. Subscribe to markmbello.com for future updates.

In addition to his work as an author, Mark M. Bello is an attorney and author, with articles published in the Legal Examiner and other popular blog sites. In 2017, Bello won a literary award for his first novel Betrayal of Faith.

For further information, editorials, or speaking engagements, please email [email protected] or contact Mark directly at [email protected].

SOURCE Mark M. Bello