Police settlements cost taxpayers billions annually while departments increase budgets. What economic pattern does this reveal?

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Police departments function as extraction machines—they inflict violence on predominantly Black and poor communities, then extract more money from those same communities to pay for the damage. Higher settlement costs trigger bigger police budgets rather than reform, while qualified immunity ensures officers never personally pay. It's a perfect racket: police create liability, taxpayers pay damages, and departments get more funding.

Police settlements cost taxpayers billions annually while departments increase budgets. What economic pattern does this reveal?

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