Someone on FireDogLake just made the following comment when I mentioned the Chicago situation in my post http://my.firedoglake.com/janestillwater/2013/05/06/stuck-in-history-mothers-day-niles-bikers-charlie-chapman/

“BTW, Marin County, to the west of Berkeley, Calif, does the same corrupt sh** to its elderly that you say City of Chicago personnel is now doing.  The county lets its Elder Abuse professionals weed through any complaints about the happenings of the elderly, and whenever an elderly person is found to not have anyone available locally to help them, WHAM BAM THANK YOU man, that person is judged incompetent, and the home is then utilized by someone at the County Elderly agency, then eventually sold, often with the owner or their family getting nothing out of the ordeal.”

Response:

Slight correction to the comment, many say this is a decades tradition in Cook County Courts