beijing xinjiancun ramshackle village migrant workers far southern fringe beijing demolition machinery tear build residents drag last belong gaze police security staff citywide fire safety blitz prompt deadly blaze month force thousands migrant workers home businesses ignite unusually direct criticism city government measure see people unfairly target vulnerable underclass beijing municipal government launch 40-day special operation target fire code build safety violations nov. 18 apartment fire xinjiancun kill 19 almost migrants beijing government say act 25,000 violations operation first week describe purely live safety people tens thousands people believe affect activists say restaurants shop code affluent areas immune safety blitz mostly target outlying part beijing enforcement construction cod tend lax migrant workers congregate due cheap rent say special operation drive low-end population irresponsible baseless beijing government say statement carry state media sunday migrant population choose place work live understand danger one resident say family six include nine-month old grandson suddenly render homeless spend previous night huddle back minivan sub-freezing temperatures also chinese people treat way say woman central china hubei province go raise grievances one dare say ask identify due sensitivity matter local authorities attribute nov. 18 blaze faulty electrical wire illegally modify two-storey property house shop cold storage facility basement top floor subdivide small crowd live quarter dozen residents xinjiancun say least 50 uniform security guard chengguan urban management force assist police smash store signage issue threats ensure compliance beijing city government daxing district government cover southern part city respond request comment xia xiaocong 44-year-old supermarket owner say tell move everything leave within 48 hours security guard cut electricity trash front shop tell legal document say close get lose tell reuters inside damage store shelve empty residents supermarket staff confirm detail xia account dingfuzhuang logistics hub beijing east residents saturday say authorities cut electricity run water force 2008 beijing welcome say liang yinghui northern hebei province refer slogan 2008 beijing olympics 2017 beijing loathe want throw open letter chinese government 100 prominent academics lawyers intellectuals say measure beijing migrant population illegal unconstitutional seriously trample human right open criticism government increasingly rare officials clamp various aspects civil society president xi jinping non-profit group seek offer assistance say obstruct police online advertisements block censor tongzhou jiayuan private community service centre beijing tongzhou district say shut police soon post notice social media welcome struggle migrant workers come stay monday beijing party secretary cai qi say authorities give time residents relocate call operation carry orderly fashion accord official beijing daily 8.23 million beijing residents come outside capital almost 40 percent population nearly 22 million accord 2016 report state-run chinese academy social sciences city say clean-up safety also consistent policies control growth september central government approve beijing plan cap population 23 million 2020. zhitao 32 arrive beijing start year work laborer hope provide good life 10-year-old son back home rural shaanxi province say force return home think would different say whose power water cut home dingfuzhuang capital backlash beijing fire safety blitz force exodus city 's underclass