Is There Such a Thing as a Humane Eviction?

CHICOPEE, Mass. — The tenants in the third-floor apartment had 30 minutes to leave.

Deputies from the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department — in black uniforms, with bulletproof vests and gold star badges — had climbed the back stairs with an eviction notice.

The tenants — 22 and 23, in matching Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirts and Crocs — were exhausted and dazed. They had stuffed some of their possessions into trash bags and suitcases, but much of what they owned would be left behind, in mounds on the floor.

“I’m sorry it’s...