The Antioch Police Department created what is called the Community Action Team in July 2006 after the initial influx of Section 8 voucher holders moved into the Antioch area and long-time residents began to feel "threatened" by the growing presence of low-income, African-American/Black families. CAT declares that its establishment was a response to community requests for greater police presence and law enforcement in the face of escalating violent crime in Antioch neighborhoods. In truth, CAT has come to represent a very real threat to the families targeted by their actions, subjected to random visits and unwarranted searches that violate the Constitutional rights of these individuals.

In their published "Fact Sheet," CAT claims that "it is committed to listening to everyone involved in neighborhood issues, not just those making the complaint," but according to Section 8, primarily black families–who are now suing the Antioch Police Department and CAT–the team has become a discriminatory surveillance mechanism that both encourages neighborhood, civilian surveillance and utilizes disturbing tactics themselves to target and harass Section 8 households.

As an example of how community leaders tackle the "problem" of unruly neighbors that move into suburban middle-class neighborhoods and "disturb" the peace, the mayor of a suburb in Illinois wrote this on his community blog: "What I would encourage homeowners who are having legitimate issues with "any of their neighbors" is to contact the village. While we are unable to go into a house without being invited (not likely) we can bring pressure to bear with parking enforcement, property maintenance issues that are not being addressed. Contact the Building Department using this link. (An email will pop up). Code enforcement of parking, mowing, and general cleanliness can be very powerful towards fixing these types of issues. If there is a loud party or something going on that is not appropriate call the Police, this is how you do it… Dial 911." (Mayor’s blog)

One of the Antioch residents interviewed for this GritTV episode, Willie Mims of the Black Political Association, voiced his opinions about CAT openly in the interview: “…Especially when they formed this CAT Team, which I renamed the Community Action Terror Team, and I told them at the city council that they need to change the name. Because the CAT Team was terrorizing these, these ladies who were on Section 8. You know, when you wake up in the morning and look out your window, not to see if there is a criminal out there, but looking to see if the police were out there. I mean, that’s the level of intimidation and threat that the police had on these ladies" (Interview, 3 October 2009, Antioch, CA; referring to the single-parent, female headed households that receive Section 8 housing vouchers and that are continually targeted by CAT).