(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.