"Seizing Yuanxiao" or "lawful confiscation"? - Investigation into the online exposure of the "seizing Yuanxiao" incident involving urban management officers in Shuangcheng City, Harbin. Xinhua News Agency, Harbin, February 8th (reported by Wang Chunyu) In recent days, the internet has been buzzing with news about the incident where urban management officers in Shuangcheng City, Harbin, allegedly 'seized merchants' Yuanxiao'. This has attracted a great deal of attention from netizens. In response to the public's concerns and discussions, Xinhua News Agency reporters rushed to Shuangcheng City on the 7th to investigate issues such as whether urban management personnel indeed seized the Yuanxiao and whether there was any inappropriate enforcement.
(Core Event) "Urban management 'seizes' merchants' Yuanxiao" draws netizen attention
"Urban management forcibly collects Yuanxiao to deliver to nursing homes." After the Lantern Festival, news about the Shuangcheng City Urban Management Bureau "seizing merchants' Yuanxiao" quickly spread online, attracting attention from many netizens and media outlets. It was reported that some merchants in Shuangcheng City discovered that their Yuanxiao placed outside for sale had disappeared. Upon inquiry, they learned that it had been "appropriated" by urban management law enforcement officers who took them to visit nursing homes.
Some netizens commented that the first "shocking event" of the new year is the transformation of urban management law enforcement into "appropriation" and "seizure." Netizen "Xiao Yong" wrote that strengthening the basic order management of cities necessitates the existence of urban management, which is highly anticipated. However, such enforcement leaves us feeling incomprehensible.
(Reporter Investigation) Merchants: Urban management took away the Yuanxiao without notice; Urban management: The Yuanxiao was legally confiscated and delivered to the nursing home
Zhang Wei, standing at the door of the "Ban Fen Li" grocery store, said that under broad daylight, the urban management personnel simply took away the Yuanxiao placed outside the door.
Zhang Wei said: "On the eleventh day of the first lunar month (February 2nd), around 7 o'clock in the morning, I placed several boxes of Yuanxiao, three bags of popcorn, and some fish outside the store. At around 9 o'clock in the morning, I noticed the Yuanxiao was gone. Initially, I thought it had been stolen, but later a customer told me that it was taken by the urban management. I didn't believe it at first. If the urban management had taken it, they should have at least informed me."
Another merchant, Guo Zhenyu from the "Hao Ren Jia" vegetable and fruit wholesale store, also reflected that the urban management personnel did not say anything and simply took away three boxes of Yuanxiao placed outside his store.
Zhou Xudong, Director of the Shuangcheng City Urban Management Enforcement Bureau, stated in an interview with reporters that the urban management personnel were conducting normal law enforcement. Since the eighth day of the first lunar month (January 30th), the urban management department had received multiple reports from the public regarding street vendors obstructing traffic. On the eighth and ninth days, the urban management department notified the merchants to rectify the situation. On the eleventh day of the first lunar month, the urban management department deployed more than 30 people and six or seven vehicles to clear the obstructions, inviting journalists from the Shuangcheng City Television Station to accompany them.
Zhou Xudong said that there was no issue of merchants being unaware of the removal of Yuanxiao by the urban management. All penalties were carried out according to procedures, and confiscation notices were issued to merchants whose goods were seized, though some refused to accept or sign them. According to relevant regulations, confiscated items are handled through auctions, destruction, or delivery to civil affairs departments. Therefore, we handed over the Yuanxiao to the Shuangcheng Town Nursing Home in Shuangcheng City.
Deputy Director Cui Lei of the Shuangcheng Town Nursing Home in Shuangcheng City told reporters that the Shuangcheng City Urban Management Bureau indeed delivered more than 140 bags of Yuanxiao. Some were consumed during the Lantern Festival, and now there are still over 90 bags remaining. The nursing home welcomes donations from all sectors of society.
The reporter observed from video materials provided by the Shuangcheng City Urban Management Bureau on the day of the enforcement that when collecting Yuanxiao from the "Hao Ren Jia" vegetable and fruit wholesale store, someone came out of the store to argue with the urban management personnel, but the Yuanxiao was still thrown onto the enforcement vehicle.
The reporter noted that there was no footage in the video showing the urban management personnel issuing penalty notices to the "Ban Fen Li" and "Hao Ren Jia" stores. On a penalty notice dated February 2nd provided by the Shuangcheng City Urban Management Enforcement Bureau, the words "refused to sign" were written next to "Ban Fen Li" and "Hao Ren Jia." Staff members explained that penalty notices were shown to the merchants on the day of enforcement, but the merchants refused to sign.
However, a staff member from an urban management enforcement department in Heilongjiang Province introduced that during urban management enforcement, in principle, temporarily seized confiscated items can be returned to the merchants after they accept the penalty. The enforcement department cannot arbitrarily handle confiscated items.
(Feedback Link) Shuangcheng Urban Management Bureau has apologized to and compensated relevant merchants
Guo Zhenyu said he purchased four boxes of Yuanxiao, planning to sell them during the holiday period, but unexpectedly, three boxes were taken by the urban management. Some old customers wanted to buy Yuanxiao, so he had to purchase them at a higher price from other stores, resulting in a loss of over 400 yuan. Zhang Wei and Guo Zhenyu believed that if they violated regulations, the urban management should provide a clear explanation; otherwise, they should compensate for the losses.
Zhou Xudong said that there were indeed inappropriate actions by the urban management personnel during the enforcement, such as not wearing uniforms. They will criticize and educate these staff members and strengthen legal and regulatory learning.
As of the time of this report, Zhang Wei and Guo Zhenyu separately confirmed to reporters that on the morning of the 8th, staff members from the Shuangcheng Urban Management Bureau visited their premises to apologize and compensated Zhang Wei and Guo Zhenyu with 700 yuan and 500 yuan respectively, and they expressed satisfaction with the handling results.
Some netizens suggested that currently, urban management has been somewhat "demonized," with poor public reputation and image. To rebuild its image, urban management needs to put in significant effort, starting from internal work. Civilized enforcement, standardized management, diligent service, treating merchants as friends, and regarding citizens as family members should be prioritized. During enforcement, every effort should be made to avoid similar "distortions," which is the hope of society and the expectation of merchants.