I had that same opportunity and I passed on it. It's dirty money. I prefer to earn the money I have. It gives me satisfaction when I use it.

With the government, you know that money came from some hardworking individual who paid his taxes ... and the only reason you have it is because some corrupt piece of garbage was drawing a salary on that money and you ended up being his victim.

Not how I want to live my life and certainly not something I want to be reminded of every time I take out my wallet.

So why not take the money, then use it to stop police brutality? The mere loss of the money will teach the government a lesson, plus you can use it for the cause you care about.

My point was: if you're carrying illegal drugs and are selected for a random search, don't consent. If you're not carrying illegal drugs, it's really up to you.

Of course people shouldn't go looking for a payout, but the taxpayers are responsible for their police dept. They have control over that dept.

Since the crap when!? Last I checked, police and most of their superiors aren't subject to recalls or indeed any accountability whatsoever.

(Would be an interesting scenario.. individual officers elected on popular vote..)

The police are accountable to elected representatives. Therefore the taxpayers are responsible for their police dept., and owe money to the victims when their police go astray. I chose my town in part because of its professional police dept., which in turn implies smart voters.

The thing about those beatings is that while they are occurring you don't know whether it's going to stop at a point that still allows you to enjoy that financial security.