Mark M. Bello Quotes

We aren't asking for any more rights than anyone else in this country. We're not trying to take anything or anyone's rights away. We're not looking for a handout unless it is a handout in friendship.

While the gun lobby sought to close the courthouse door to all legitimate claims, Zack and other clever lawyers often artfully dodge these efforts with carefully crafted pleadings and appropriate argument, successfully litigating their claims, and holding gun companies responsible.

Disparate treatment of minorities should be discussed in every school in the country. Do the boys understand the difference between news and
propaganda? Misinformation is rampant on the internet, and the biggest provider of 'fake news' is the President of the United States, Ronald John.

If the dad has a criminal record, he shouldn't have been able to purchase the guns, and we've got a serious problem."
Barrington unloads again. "I pay you a lot of money to prevent us from having a serious problem. Take care of it, dammit!

Can't a lawyer take his client out to dinner to discuss the case? Haven't you ever heard of the two-martini lunch?"
"Yes, but this is dinner," she corrected.
"It's the same thing. I looked it up in my Etiquette and Tax Deductions
for Lawyers handbook . . .

Focus, Blake! Everything will fall into place. What would I have if I lost this case? I'd have nothing, no one - same as before.

These are not red or blue issues - they are the human rights issues of our generation. We are here begging for our lives. If today's political officeholders cannot accomplish real change on guns and gun issues, we will vote together on these issues in the next election and elect their successors . . .

Are we interrupting your late-morning nap, Mr. Blake?" District Court Judge Emma Pearl inquired, with a harsh tone and an insistent expression.

I just listened to a man in total denial of the fact that he gunned down an innocent man.

Suddenly polite and cherubic, Judge Pearl addressed the defendant, a voting citizen. "Mr. Jordan, have you had a chance to meet with your attorney?

The NRA is an outdated special interest group. The Association's membership does not have the best interests of our students or the safety of our schools in mind. Its' influence must be diminished and ultimately destroyed. The NRA has our fallen friends' blood on its hands.

Where is the sense of outrage for our Muslim neighbors, Dearborn citizens all? Should we not feel the same sense of violation and shock even though these worshipers pray to a different version of God than we do?

If Love's testimony is corroborated, there will be indictments. Do you understand me? If you want to have me recused, go for it! Know this, however. You will have an enemy on the Wayne Circuit Court bench for life!"
"Your Honor, I've changed my mind," Walsh capitulated. "I have confidence in your ability to render a fair and impartial decision in the obstruction matter.

These elected officials pursued the offices they hold and asked us for our votes. We gave them our votes. That's a sacred trust, and they have betrayed us.

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.

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.

Even the receptionist was new, a pretty, young, buxom blonde named Eden, according to her nameplate. Micah must have handpicked her from the Garden.

He hated them all. They didn't understand his higher calling. Gerry was answerable only to God. God loved him and approved of his efforts with children. In fact, his first experiences with the children were encouraged by a visit from the Lord. In his vision, the Lord told him to "teach them diligently unto thy children." He told him young boys needed encouragement near puberty to experience the physical pleasures their young bodies were capable of feeling. Shortly after that, Gerry 'educated' his first child . . .

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.

Should I grab something, start crying and screaming, punch you or one of your detectives? Would that get your attention? Maybe the media would come running! I punch you; you arrest me! The media would be all over that! 'Crazy black mother punches police captain! Details at eleven!' I'll do that if it'll help me find my daughter! How's that sound to you?

A black woman challenging the system and taking on a white man - especially a white cop - is not going to have an easy time.

You're right, Jen, of course," she capitulated. "I'm sorry. You're going through hell, and I'm pontificating instead of being compassionate," Lynne admitted.
"Pontificating? Interesting choice of words for a nonbeliever," Jennifer chuckled.

If a buyer is having trouble getting a gun in Michigan, he or she just travels to Ohio or Indiana or Illinois. You know what I mean?"

Jennifer Tracey's passion for justice ignited the spark of Zack's competitive flame. He would be that Blake again, the kick-ass trial lawyer Blake. The church and that piece-of-shit priest are dead meat!

We seek compensation, true, but we also seek to prevent future abhorrent conduct by this or any other priest. We seek to punish a vicious predator of children and the religious institution that stands idly by and watches while a whole generation of God's precious children are physically and psychologically raped of their childhood, their faith, and their trust in role models. This is about a hierarchy whose solution to the problem is to send the offending priest packing, quietly pay off victims, and actively cover up crimes. The cover-up is responsible for a vicious cycle of crime upon crime. This lawsuit says we will not go quietly like those who came before us. The vicious cycle stops here and now.

Never discount woman's intuition Zack. That is real."
"I never discount a woman's anything, dear. The world would be a better place if woman were in charge.

I now believe successful criminal and civil outcomes in these cases, prison for Gerry, and a large damages award for the boys, would clarify these issues and assuage their guilt feelings. A guilty verdict in the criminal case and a large civil verdict or settlement would be double vindication for the boys.

Lose the attitude, respect the man's position and his politics, and ask how he intends to handle this matter. He may not fully understand the black experience. Maybe you can help him out. Describe the terror of that night for you and your kids. Help him understand how the officer went so terribly wrong. Make him see the world through your eyes, through Marcus's eyes, through a black person's eyes."
"Do you really think that is possible, Mama?"
"It's what I have prayed for every day since the day you were born. I prayed that things would be better for you than they ever were for me."
"That's not happening, Mama."
"No, baby, it isn't, but you have an opportunity to shine a positive light on a very negative situation, and you need to take advantage of that opportunity.

What tenacity! What spirit! I feel so alive in her presence. I can conquer the world with her by my side. If she'd let him, he'd violate his rule about becoming involved with a client . . .

This isn't about money. It's about justice and prevention, justice for my boys and those who came before them, and prevention for those who may come after. Your crap settlement does not alert the public and allows this animal to continue to violate children," Jennifer raged. "I will not stand idly by for a few bucks and permit this to happen to another innocent child.

A bishop in the church swore on oath, to tell the truth in this court, and then lied to you, ladies and gentlemen! Are we surprised? What do we expect from a man who conspires to obstruct justice, tampers with witnesses, plants listening devices in people's homes and offices, and offers huge amounts of cash in exchange for silence?

One way to hurt Barrington is to beat the crap out of him in your lawsuit. Hurt him in the pocketbook.

Uber drivers, summoned by phone, awaited them and drove them to the restaurant. This 'sleight of hand' was Father Jon's idea. Jennifer felt like an actress in a James Bond movie, but she appreciated the subterfuge.

May we have Kenny's iPhone and your younger son's, what's his name? We need to obtain copies of these texts."
"His name is Jake. I'm sure it's fine. You know kids, though. I suggest you get what you need quickly. If you keep their phones for too long, there will be hell to pay," Zack chuckles.
"Don't I know it," Ross laughs. "I've got a teenaged girl. Girls are much worse than boys.

Stop pointing that damned gun at me! You are scaring my children. See, they're crying. You've upset them. It's okay babies. Daddy is talking to this nasty policeman. I'm sorry he is being such a mean man. We'll get something to eat in a few minutes.

So, when a judge requests your services as a 'personal favor,' declining representation is out of the question, unless you don't mind appearing in front of a pissed-off judge with a long memory.

All this Second Amendment shit is a money grab for these people. Follow the damned money!

Ladies and gentlemen, after Columbine, Newtown, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, San Bernardino, Orlando, Vegas, Parkland and now in our own community, one thing should be clear to citizens and politicians alike. Our society needs stricter laws for people who purchase guns for the purpose of perpetrating criminal acts. We need tougher laws for people who buy guns to sell to criminals or kids. These laws should severely punish anyone in these categories - neither suggestion steps on the Second Amendment . . .

Guy tries to buy a gun, but when he returns, he learns he's failed the background check. 'Oh well,' the guy tells himself. 'It was worth a try.' The dealer says to the guy, 'Hold the phone, buddy. Ask a friend, your brother, your sister, anyone you know, to come in, pass the background check, and we'll sell the guns to them instead of you. What happens to them afterward is none of our business . . .

In the midst of all of this local peace and harmony, a man named Ronald John was now the President-elect of the United States. He campaigned on a platform that promised to "rid America of the Muslim scourge." What does this mean? Arya pondered. Does this man seriously intend to engage in the process of deporting all Muslims, whether here legally or illegally, whether citizens or non-citizens? Isn't that unconstitutional? Arya Khan was inspirited and . . . terrified.

Nobody will ever pry the guns out of the hands of these Second Amendment American idiots. And if they do, God bless them. Only criminals will have weapons.

The ages of individual Supreme Court Justices were of significant concern to Zack, as were the nominations President John would make if these elderly Supreme Court Justices retired or passed away. Zack smiled to himself and wished the justices good health and long life.

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.

The Burger King robbery was committed by a couple of black kids, so that fact justifies pulling over EVERY black guy?

The boys were only fourteen and twelve years old at the time, happy go-lucky, fun-loving boys, like your sons, nephews, or grandsons. Their
whole lives were in front of them. Their worries and concerns were the simple ones of any twelve or fourteen-year-olds. Who are my teachers this
year? Will I have friends in my class? Will Mom buy me an iPhone? Will the Lions, Tigers, Pistons, or Red Wings have good seasons? Will I do well in school? Will my parents be proud of me? Will I be invited to cool parties? Will I meet a girl? These should be the problems of Kenny and Jake Tracey. Instead, they worry about whether they can ever get the filthy and disgusting acts of this degenerate out of their minds.

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.

Because for her, money isn't the issue. This is about revenge, payback, even worse, justice.

I pull over a colored guy who's driving, probably stoned, with his kids in the car! I smell marijuana! Out of the blue, this scumbag tells me he's got a gun and a license to carry. Why does he tell me that? Does he plan to shoot me?
"Show me your hands, I tell him. He ignores me, Brenda! He reaches down into his pocket. Is he reaching for the gun? Why won't he show me his hands? He's not 'the black guy' or 'the white guy,' dammit! He's the guy with the fucking gun!

. . . While competency and insanity are not the same things and the standards of proof are different, they are undoubtedly first cousins.

But, he's the white prosecutor, honey. What does he know about being black in America? What does he know about being pulled over for driving while black? What does he know about living with discrimination every day of your life or being a descendant of slaves? Has he ever experienced discrimination? Has he lost a loved one to senseless violence? Can he hear gunshots from a lounge chair on the front porch of his fancy-ass home?

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 . . .

Our love must be stronger than their hate.

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.

Why do Second Amendment advocates assume every time a well-meaning legislator suggests common-sense gun control legislation, politicians must be coming for our guns?

Benjamin Blaine," he muttered. Glad that asshole is locked up for the rest of his miserable life.
But Jack was not naïve; he knew that there were thousands like Blaine, across America, spurred to action by the sinister rhetoric of a racist president. Either way, they were equally as dangerous, perhaps more so.

Come on, Jack. Be reasonable. Let's run this up the chain of command."
"Acker will never approve, and even if he does, we would have to deal with some Barney Fife type cop up in Manistee, and he would never agree. I'm screwed either way."
"Who's Barney Fife?"
"He's an old television character…oh…never mind . . .

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.

The threat of lawsuits has increased public awareness of the dangers of smoking and has made tobacco companies market their dangerous nicotine delivery systems more responsibly. The threat of lawsuits has made all kinds of products safer. For example, over the last forty years or so, automobile deaths have been cut nearly in half by safety features in cars, developed and implemented in response to lawsuits.

Zack is suddenly torn between client obligation and representation on the one hand, and due process and civil and criminal rights on the other. Burns is a child. I'd give him the same advice. Do I need his testimony?

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.

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?

Rothenberg was dumbfounded, shocked speechless. He was retained to provide treatment in a fourth-degree fondling case. This was far worse. This is a first-degree case. These boys were raped! The floodgates opened - details were pouring out now.

I was hoping you could tell me, Father. Dr. Rothenberg tells me that whoever it is told you to retain him to counsel the boys."
Now he understood. Rothenberg told Jenny about the Voice and the Coalition, but why? What happened to cause him to cross the Voice? This was a dangerous move - there might be consequences.

From Zachary Blake? Not a chance in hell. All his cases are high-profile. And these days, he's got a Midas touch. Every case he touches turns to gold. Blake is on a personal crusade for civil justice and safety - truth, justice, and the American way, don't you know? Guns are an excellent target issue for someone like him.

Aren't cops trained to be patient, to use their weapons as a last resort?"
"But this was a white cop, Sarah. And to a white cop, a black man and a gun don't mix. Do you understand where I'm coming from?

Our good friend and fellow sportsman George W. Bush signed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act into law back in 2005. Essentially, unless we make a terribly defective gun, the law creates a complete shield from liability. God bless Citizens United, the United States Chamber of Commerce, the NRA, tort reform, and needy and greedy politicians.

I think the shooter is Kevin Burns. I know him pretty well. Maybe I can talk him down."
"Are you nuts? He's crazy. Everyone knows he's a lunatic. No one can talk him down. Get out of there!"
"I can't sit around and do nothing. I have to do something. Remember what Mom and Dad told us after Father Gerry? If you have a chance to save or protect innocent people, you have to make that sacrifice. I won't let another predator get the best of me."
"That's not what they meant, you idiot! Get the hell out of there and let the police handle it. I'm sure they're on their way!"
"If anything happens to me, I want you to know you're the best little brother a guy could hope for, squirt. Take care. I love you."
"I love you too. Please don't do anything stupid."
"We're going to get out of this together. Understand? We're best brothers, forever."
"Forever, bro . . .

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.

How does a mentally challenged eighteen-year-old obtain an AK 47 and a Lugar? We don't need to disarm America to prevent school shootings. We need only common sense.

Jesus, Zack, will you stop kidding around? We've had one dinner."
"Jesus? Name's familiar … I can't place it. Wasn't he Jewish?

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.

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.

He wants to be perceived as a hero to people who have been bullied and not as a deranged lunatic who committed mass murder without rational explanation . . .

Can a black man get justice in a sea of white?

Look at that asshole! Not a care in the world! Today, I fish; tomorrow, I blow up a mosque. Smart, hiding in plain sight.

Your Honor," the jury foreman began to read, "We the jury find in favor of the . . .

. . . being on the wrong side of a pissing contest is never a good thing.

Have dinner with me tonight. I can fill you in on my conversation with Micah."
"And if I say no?" She wouldn't have.
"Then, I'll keep my discussions with Micah to myself."
"Zack, that's bribery."
"Sue me.

How does a guy like Bart afford a boat like this? Does bigotry pay that well?

I've been a lawyer in Detroit for a lot of years. I've seen the system up close and personal. I've seen the charging differences, the sentencing differences, blacks in white towns harassed and pulled over for the crime of simply being there and being black.

He looked up and down the block. Every house seemed identical except for the respective paint job. Every home had a screened-in pool. Ah, Florida. What was life like with summer all year long? He wiped sweat from his forehead and put his nose to his armpits, immediately deciding that fall, winter or spring weren't so bad.

Blake turned meekly from the bench. The gallery, made up primarily of other attorneys, whispered, muttered, and snickered. They pointed at him and whispered to each other, hand over mouth. Zachary waded through them, enduring their snickers and taunts in utter humiliation.

Where is outrage from the National Rifle Association? Where's the damned NRA? The NRA claims to believe the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States grants all of our citizens the right to survive and protect their families with any gun they want. I guess that's only true when those citizens are Caucasian! Does the Second Amendment apply if you're a black man driving through a white neighborhood?

This would be the Michigan version of the OJ trial, this time, with a guilty verdict.

No parent should lose a son or daughter, no teacher should lose a student, no sibling should lose a brother or sister, and no student should lose a best friend or a teacher.

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?

Until cops stop treating blacks differently than whites, we're going to have problems.

. . . I may need to put the fear of God into a lawyer and his son. Perhaps we can clarify the cost of suing Barrington Arms and not being reasonable in trying to resolve the lawsuit?

Good for justice, bad for Jones. I hope you get the bastard if that's what the evidence shows.

While white people may never completely understand or fully grasp the experience of being black in America, together, We The People must try to bridge the racial divide. And the result will be a stronger nation.

America hasn't seen this type of ethnic polarization since the days leading up to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jennifer's eyes begin to water again. "Don't let anything bad happen to him, Dr. Sampson. My husband is a famous lawyer. He sues doctors when they screw up."
"Jennifer!" Zack exclaims, embarrassed.

Talking frankly about race may make white people uncomfortable. Taking a stand to demonstrate the impact of race on law enforcement is difficult. Look what happened when a National Football League star, protesting discrimination, decided to kneel during the national anthem. Some understood the protest and the right to peacefully demonstrate pursuant to the First Amendment to our Constitution. Others have used the protest to divide us further and rally the white supremacist elements of their constituency. Yes, I am speaking to you, Mr. President, the principal antagonist of racial harmony.

We hear these people argue that, somehow, we are trying to strip people of their constitutional rights. What about our constitutional rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? It's difficult to achieve those rights when you're dead.

When it was over, Goodman won the popular vote, but John won the decisive Electoral College and the presidency. Gerrymandering played a prominent role in the shocking result.

I have filed a lawsuit; I am not engaged in a legislative battle. I am very proud my son will help spearhead an effort to put forth a survivor's legislative agenda with many of his fellow students, teachers, and other survivors of this tragedy. Kenny and his colleagues are now voting age or will be before the next election. Pro-gun politicians need to address the problem, or they may find themselves looking for work.

As John finished his speech, Zack couldn't help but wonder how a country that had been served by a brilliant and inclusive president for eight years now chose to elect a narcissistic, xenophobic, homophobic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic racist with no experience in government.

Who charges a deranged gunman like that? They're perfect gentlemen, those Tracey boys. Do they ever do anything wrong? 'Dudley Do-Rights,' both of those fuckers. Still, I hope Kenny's still alive.

How could a man "disappear" amidst all those elite law enforcement officials? Would things have been different if we were in charge?

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.