Demolition begins on house while family sleeps inside

Chenzhuang Village, Stone Buddha Township, Ganxin District, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province: While Zhang Hongjun’s family of nine slept, a demotion crew began demolishing their house at about 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2014. They were in danger of being buried alive.

“When we were sleeping, we were almost killed. Nine people! We didn’t have time to put on clothes, and we were carrying a one-year-old child.”

Villagers said that those carrying out the forced demolitions are members of organized crime gangs.

(Copy editor’s note: In China, property developers often hire thugs to demolish buildings whose owners refuse to accept the low compensation offered for the property. )