Daley takes 2016 bid to Beijing

Beijing is ready to host this year's Summer Olympic Games.

And Mayor Richard Daley and a delegation from Chicago were in the air Monday afternoon, flying to China. They hoped to learn more about what it takes to stage an Olympics and do some lobbying for Chicago's 2016 bid.

In Beijing, about two dozen people scuffled with police during a brief demonstration near Tiananmen Square.

The protesters claimed they lost their homes to make way for commercial development. Many people have been evicted to clear the area for renovations for the Olympics.

How many people have been inconvenienced depends on whom you ask.

The government says 14,901 residents were relocated to make way for Olympic venues. A human rights group puts the number at 1.5 million. The government has ordered polluting industries to close and even pulled the plug on some nightclubs for fear of presenting a less than pristine image.

"I would say that you may find venues that you thought would be open and having shows, maybe they're closed or just not allowed to have shows," said concert organizer Jon Cambell.

"It's the idea of sacrifice for the greater good, which is to make China look fantastic during the Olympic period," said Ed Lehman, an attorney, who is a graduate of Loyola Academy. He moved to Beijing two decades ago. He was among the first foreigners permitted to run a law firm in China.

Is a city like Chicago ready for the self-sacrifice that comes with hosting the Games?

• Tune into ABC 7's 6 and 10 p.m. broadcasts this week to see Ben Bradley's reports from Beijing.