Title: Equality, Injustice, or What?
Author: Ollie Marshall-Rico
Publisher: Ollie Marshall-Rico
ISBN: 978-1-959843-05-4
Pages: 254
Genre: Social Justice
Reviewed by: Gabriella Harrison

Read Book Review

Ollie Marshall-Rico offers a compelling and objective evaluation of law enforcement in America, acknowledging the good and the bad in her book, Equality, Injustice, or What? Her approach is sincere and straight to the point.

The book centers on racism and how fatal it can be when law enforcement officers choose to act based on this racism in the execution of their duties. She details how deadly racism gets when it clouds rationality and embitters hearts, causing these officers to quickly and unfoundedly assume the worst about every black person, resulting in unjustified killings. There are numerous examples of people who have been killed while reaching for their cell phones or other harmless objects because the cops claimed they thought it was or looked like a gun or they thought they were using their tasers, not their guns. These graphic and recurrent instances paint horrifying pictures and highlight the enormity of this problem.

Ollie’s evaluation of this problem offers a balanced perspective. She compares and contrasts the perspective of the victims and their loved ones with that of the law enforcement officers who also face various dangers each day they go out to serve. She offers suggestions that show her desire for improvement, not hatred. Naming over one hundred victims, along with the date, location, and method they were murdered, adds poignancy to the appeal and demand for a clean law enforcement system free from racism and murder. This book serves as a voice for the blood of these victims crying out for justice. There are also pictures of some of the victims, and this adds to the emotionally charged atmosphere of the book.

Repetitions emphasize the gravity of the murders, and mind-boggling but essential questions about these murders are raised. At the end of the book, there is a very valuable reference section with links to published articles, which will be useful for further research and enlightenment about the victims written about in the book.

As stated in the first chapter dedicated to Julian Alexander, who was murdered in Anaheim, California, in October 2008, getting rid of racism starts with the mind. For anyone to get rid of racism, they must acknowledge its presence and be willing to not only learn how to do better; but work towards doing better.

Equality, Injustice, or What? pays homage to over a hundred victims of police brutality from over half of the states that make up the United States of America.   An essential book in both understanding the issues facing the world today and in learning how each of us can help.  I believe it is a very helpful tool to understand what is happening in our society today, but also why we are here, and most importantly, what we can do to break these toxic patterns and create a new history for our future generations; one that is based on love, respect and equal justice for all.

A book to inspire, educate, motivate, and lead the world into a just, humane, dignified and empowering life free of abuse, oppression, and discrimination.