(
n.)
Another word for extortion/blackmail, or the obtaining of a good or service through means of
force, threats/intimidation, or abuse of
power.
Shakedown by force, threats and intimidation:
The
Mafia would usually give small business owners "the shakedown," in which if the owner did not pay protection money (or "tribute") to the Mafia
Don, their store would mysteriously be firebombed by vandals (read: Mafia thugs) who presumably would have been deterred if the owner had opted to partake in the Mafia protection plan.
Shakedown by abuse of power:
City councils are notorious for shakedowns by abuse of power. Suppose you bought a
house for an inflated price of $50000, before property values started declining. The state wants to build a highway, and decides that your
house is in the way. You
don't want to move, but they offer you $25000 to pack up and leave. If you
don't leave, the council
will employ the eminent domain laws, which
will simply *force* you to leave and *force* you to accept a measly compensation of $15000 (fair market value) for your property. While such practice is actually legal, it's still a shakedown, because if you
don't agree to their initial unreasonable demands, you're going to be even worse off as a consequence--just
like debating whether you want to drown in your own piss, or someone else's.
