Before noon.
Guangming Street Office, Conference Room.
After returning from Willow Lane Alley, Dong Xuebin convened a directors' meeting. Several deputy directors, along with the heads of the Party and Government Office and Police Station, all attended.
Dong Xuebin took a sip of tea. "How are things over there?"
Yu Rongfeng had the most seniority, so he spoke first. "The work is very difficult. They're all hardened troublemakers who won't respond to either soft or hard tactics."
"The Forced Demolition Notice has already been issued." Guo Mingfeng's voice was somewhat hoarse; he had been shouting the loudest earlier. "There's no way to reason with those illegal business operators. At this rate, forced demolition will be very difficult. Xue Gui is a well-known thorn in the side around here. With him gathering a bunch of idle social elements to take the lead in stirring people up, it'll be even harder to get anything done." The local merchants' shameless, unyielding attitude had also left Guo Mingfeng and the others seething.
After hearing their reports, Dong Xuebin said, "Director Zhou and I just went around Willow Lane Alley to speak with the nearby residents." He looked at Zhou Yanru.
Zhou Yanru said, "The surrounding residents have extremely strong objections to these illegal constructions. The most common complaints are sanitation and traffic. Whenever Headline Hutong gets blocked, they often have to take a major detour to get home. Those unlicensed restaurants and food stalls have also seriously affected environmental hygiene. Garbage is thrown everywhere. Director Dong and I specifically looked at one courtyard; you could smell a foul stench just standing inside the courtyard wall. Some courtyards were also filled with thick smoke. They've reached the point where people simply can't live there anymore. Some residents have rented out their homes and moved to