The pattern shows up in very specific places:

majority-Black cities, local courts, prosecutors’ offices, school boards, election boards, and clerks’ offices that control records, rules, money, and accountability.

And it targets very specific people:

Black voters, reform candidates, and communities that finally gain enough power to govern themselves.

The old version was:

“You can’t vote.”

The modern version is:

“You voted, but we’re moving the power.”

“You voted, but we’re changing the office.”

“You voted, but the state knows better.”

That is the high-signal part.

When Black political power is symbolic, it gets tolerated.

When it becomes operational, the rules suddenly become negotiable.