San Diego Pays $30 Million for Police Killing, Keeps Militarizing Its Force
San Diego is reportedly considering a $30 million settlement for the family of Konoa Wilson, a Black teenager fatally shot by Officer Daniel Gold while running from another shooter. This AP News story highlights the 'catastrophic failure of policing,' yet conveniently skips the elephant in the room: how San Diego's police budget has steadily increased, often surpassing calls for community-based
solutions, even as similar lawsuits pile up. In 2023, the city council approved a $565 million police budget, an increase of over $20 million from the prior year, despite ongoing controversies regarding officer conduct. So, we're meant to celebrate a record payout as justice, while the same city council members rubber-stamp budgets that equip officers for split-second 'decisions' like Gold's. It's
a revolving door: police budgets expand, tragic shootings occur, cities pay exorbitant settlements (with taxpayer money, of course), and then police budgets expand again to 'retrain' officers or purchase new 'non-lethal' gear that invariably becomes lethal. How much public money will be recycled through settlements before the actual source of the 'catastrophic failures' is addressed?