[PapaBear3625]

From the article comments section, is a good summary:

The "facts" in  your article-

-at least 3 dogs were malnourished in this kindly home

-a veterinarian reported the situation to authorities, 
not neighbors

-a public park was co-opted as the "yard" of some adult 
Harris children -two with current criminal records

-a house full of adults had major building code and
 sanitation violations

Please tell me what neighborhood would ignore the obvious
problems here? Why should they?

Mr. Harris had long ceased to be neighborly and had 
retreated into his own troubled world.

Taxpayer money developed the park and maintains it. 
Neighbors clean it. But only the Harris'
use it. 

The Harris family appear to be a nexus of bad news in an otherwise-gentrifying neighborhood. Some neighbors finally decided that they were bad for property values and had to go.

[Lazamataz]

The Harris family appear to be a nexus of bad news in an otherwise-gentrifying neighborhood. Some neighbors finally decided that they were bad for property values and had to go.

Yes, and absolutely ANY level of force is JUST FINE. Shoot, dawg, they should have nuked the site from orbit.

Just to be sure.

[MichaelP]

Nothing there merited such a raid. They could have knocked on the door to investigate the dogs. It's Police thuggery and arrogance...

Mike

[cuban leaf]

—The Harris family appear to be a nexus of bad news in an otherwise-gentrifying neighborhood. Some neighbors finally decided that they were bad for property values and had to go.—

If that is closer to the truth, this seems a little more acceptable, though I don’t know if Swat was really necessary.

I live in an area where some neighbors sound like the Harris family. That kind of thing works in a rural setting. Not so much in an urban or suburban setting. You have to get along or else.

[cpa4you]

Yep, I read it like that, too. Was lots of bad stuff going on. Neighbors had a absolute right to feel safe in their own homes and yards. What about them and their kids?

And, don't get me started on Pitbulls around children. Anyone watching Judge “Joe” Knows the folly of doing that!

[WayneS]

Since when are SWAT raids by 40 police officers justified to investigate allegations of poorly nourished dogs, allegations of trespassing and/or possible building code violations?

As for the claim that Mr. Harris had “retreated in to his own troubled world”, I will say this: So what?! Is that against the law?

[Jack Hydrazine]

So all of that justifies using SWAT?

[Godzilla]

The Harris family appear to be a nexus of bad news in an otherwise-gentrifying neighborhood. Some neighbors finally decided that they were bad for property values and had to go.

Fine, however SWAT teams in the middle of the night are not the way that these things are to be addressed in our society - this is an improper 'legal' recourse and I would agree that it is an abuse of power and their rights.

[TigersEye]

So, their crime was being too poor for the up and coming neighborhood.