Family shattered after raid, home loss

Chicago Tribune ^ | October 2, 2011 | Mary Schmich

[Immerito]

The Harris family's life began to unravel around dawn on the last day of August.

R.J. Harris, who is 77, was in bed when a noise jolted him awake.

Bam. What was that?

Bam. It sounded like an explosion.

Bam. The front door swung open and officers in masks swarmed inside, pointing rifles.

Police! Hands up! Police!

Harris' wife, an aunt, a son, a grandson, a granddaughter, a great-grandson and a cousin all bolted awake. From the floor above, where one of the Harris daughters lives with her family, came the blast and stench of smoke bombs.

Mr. Harris, standing in the middle of the house that he bought 41 years ago, that has lodged his large family through the neighborhood's gentrification, kept thinking: All you had to do was knock.

[TigersEye]

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

[PapaBear3625]

The article notes that their house and the park are separated by a vacant lot, but I cannot find any reference to the family monopolizing the park, nor can I find any indication of accusations that the Harris family is responsible for the drug dealing or other problems which are apparently evident in that park.

I would guess that they could effectively monopolize the park by spending a lot of time there, and acting in ways that would have suburban moms feel it was unsafe to bring their children there. The dogs would probably contribute to that.

[PapaBear3625]

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

Sometimes, life sucks. Particularly when you piss off people with power. Recognizing reality does not imply that I approve.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

In the old days we would have just burned the house down, whether they liked it or not.

In the olden days... if you had been so stupid they or their kin would have come and burned down your pretty neighborhood with you in it.

And the rest of the city would have nodded and said you got what you deserved.

[cuban leaf]

—In the olden days... if you had been so stupid they or their kin would have come and burned down your pretty neighborhood with you in it.

And the rest of the city would have nodded and said you got what you deserved.—

I think my old days are older than yours. :-p

[cuban leaf]

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

Although that may be one way of putting it, it may be an overly benign perspective.

[Hodar]

"And, this IS Chicago, the place "Lord Obama" calls home."

Ah, that explains everything.

How dare this citizen complain about his lot in life, politicans are in charge - we are but their servants < /s>

[cuban leaf]

—So, their crime was being too poor for the up and coming neighborhood.—
A guy in a covenant neighborhood that cannot afford to keep up his home within the minimum requirements of his covenent agreement could be said to be too poor for his neighborhood.

But it is a bit more complicated than that, and yet simpler. The comment would be an attempt to deflect the truth. To intentionally mislead the reader.

[Liberty Valance]

[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.

[Oatka]

Why do police insist on going “SWAT” when a polite knock on the door would suffice?

To justify the existence of SWAT teams.

[Hodar]

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.

Would have loved to have heard that conversation - that is nothing short of extortion. Too bad it wasn't recorded.

[Peet]

Battle of Spisey Street. Google it.

[Cowman]

Go look at Zillow.com and see how much the world can know about your home.

Zillow gets the bulk of their information from the tax records.

Just another reason direct taxation of property value is dangerous.

[WayneS]

Yes, they could have been monopolizing the park by spending a lot of time there, etc... -- But where in the article does it claim that they did so?

They also COULD have been running a crack-house or a meth-lab, but no evidence has been presented indicating that they were, so I am going to assume they were not...

[Cowman]

Would have loved to have heard that conversation - that is nothing short of extortion. Too bad it wasn't recorded.

That and other dealings with local officials has convinced me to add a digital recorder to my telephone.(I have found that most of these little tyrants like to use the telephone to minimize witnesses.)

[cynwoody]

Chicago is better than that.

No, it's not.

[Jack Hydrazine]

I just have to wonder which part tipped them off that they might be armed, hardened criminals ready to kill cops?

[PapaBear3625]

I just have to wonder which part tipped them off that they might be armed, hardened criminals ready to kill cops?

That they had a son living there who, the article notes, had "been in and out of prison" ? We have no idea what was in the police files relating to the people living at that house.

[TigersEye]

They might be an overly benign family too for all this article gives to go on.