[Hodar]

Something seems to be missing from this article. 40 officers do not gas-bomb a house and storm it at night, over misdemeanor offenses listed. Futhermore, you cannot seize a home, over housing violations; there is this little thing called ‘due process’. If there were violations, you would simply arrest the violators; not seize the home. If there are dozens of housing violations - you provide sifficient time to address these violations (clogged gutters? really?)

Did the parents not pay their mortgage; and this was a raid/eviction effort? This article seems biased, in the extreme.

[Lazamataz]

Something seems to be missing from this article. 40 officers do not gas-bomb a house and storm it at night, over misdemeanor offenses listed.

It seems like, these days, they do.

[Chickensoup]

Something seems to be missing from this article. 40 officers do not gas-bomb a house and storm it at night, over misdemeanor offenses listed. Futhermore, you cannot seize a home, over housing violations; there is this little thing called ‘due process’. If there were violations, you would simply arrest the violators; not seize the home. If there are dozens of housing violations - you provide sifficient time to address these violations (clogged gutters? really?)

I dont think due process exists anymore/

[FourPeas]

Outside on Sheffield Avenue, more officers gathered, shooing away neighbors. One neighbor described the scene on her blog.

"I felt like I was on 'The Wire!' Fantastic," she wrote. "... The neighbors hung out near our fence, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, you know, as if this sort of thing happens every day in Lincoln Park. I watch 'Breaking Bad,' yo, I know about meth. I bet they were totally cooking in there."

[snip]

In July, Ald. Scott Waguespack's aides contacted the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy office for the 18th District. The alderman's email noted that some neighbors had complained about unleashed dogs and drugs in tiny Privet Playlot Park. The playground is separated from the Harris home only by a vacant lot.

While the alderman himself says that he had not focused on the Harrises as a major problem — he was more concerned about nearby empty lots and vacant houses — his office also forwarded to CAPS a complaint letter that had arrived with a photo. In the photo, a little girl stands in the playground staring down at drug paraphernalia.

Seems political: alderman wants action, developers want land & neighbors want family from the old version of the neighborhood out. Drugs make a good excuse; meth is the current bugaboo.

And, this IS Chicago, the place "Lord Obama" calls home. I'm sure Rahm will be on it any day now.

[Cowman]

there is this little thing called ‘due process’. If there were violations, you would simply arrest the violators; not seize the home

My Dad was doing a little work on a friends house when the building inspector stopped by and told him that there was no way in Hades he was going to issue a CO on that house as the tax revenue wouldn't pay for the school cost of four kids (it was a 4 BR house in town.) His advice was to abandon it and let the bank forclose so the town could knock it down and take the land.

Due process my gluteus maximus.