A VOTING session organized by a residential compound’s property owners’ committee was disturbed by a group of property owners that held different views on how to manage the residential compound May 17, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

Donghu Subdistrict Office and the police have stepped in to investigate the incident. A security guard with the residential compound’s property management company was punished with a 15-day administrative detention for beating others.

The compound, named Jinzhou Garden, is located at the juncture of Luohu District and Longgang District. The residential complex is home to nearly 2,000 residents. Jinzhou Property Management Co. has been managing the garden since 2001. There is also an autonomous committee that was formed by property owners living at the residential compound.

The conflict took place on the morning of May 17 when the committee was holding a gathering to count votes to decide several issues related to the management of the residential compound, such as the management mode of Jinzhou Property Management Co., asking for maintenance funds and so forth.

According to committee members, while they were trying to count the votes, people from the property management company rushed in, took away the voting box and tore up all of the votes.

“To be honest, we had predicted that the property management company would come and stop our vote, but we did not expect that they would beat us in broad daylight,” said Tan Jinguang, head of the committee.

Another committee member, known as Zhang, said that the property management company had been obstructing the vote ever since they became aware of the subjects to be discussed, and had even threatened committee members.

Based on a video provided by Zhang, the fight actually started between her and another property owner surnamed Yang. The woman was leading a group of people and rushed into the voting venue before grabbing Zhang’s hair. The two women tussled with each other while the others joined in on the chaotic fight.

According to Tan, three people, including the security guard, rushed into the office and took away the voting box. They tore up all of the 17 votes after smashing the voting box on the lawn outside of the office.

The property management company, however, denied that their staff had caused the chaos or taken away the voting box. The director of the company pointed his finger at another group of property owners and blamed them for the conflict.

The director disclosed that the property owners’ committee had made a lot of requirements for property owners to be able to vote, like requiring copies of ID cards and property certificates, which irritated many property owners who thought it was disrespectful.

According to the director, the company has been managing the residential compound for 17 years and now the committee wants to kick the company out and take over the management by registering the committee as the new property management company.

An official response issued by the subdistrict office revealed that the conflict broke out because some property owners who did not agree with the committee’s voting agenda had failed to express their opinions and demands in a rational way. The subdistrict office said that it would help both sides to negotiate. (Zhang Qian)