(Clearwisdom.net) December 5, 2004, was a sunny Sunday but the wind was chilly. We went to the corner of 96th Street and Broadway and started to practice the exercises with the music. One elderly woman watched our exercises for some time, so I approached her and gave her a flyer. The lady pointed at the practitioners exercising and said it was very beautiful. I asked her whether she knew about Falun Gong. She shook her head. So I talked about Falun Gong and told her that the teaching was free. She asked me where she could learn it.


People learn the truth and sign their names to the petition in support of Falun Gong


Learning the Falun Gong exercises


Clarifying the truth to passers-by

Several groups of people wanted to learn the exercises that day. One man told a practitioner that he had achieved everything in this life, including money, social status and a family but he also recognized that social morality was deteriorating so he was very frustrated. He said it was the right time for him to encounter Falun Gong. When his wife was learning the exercises, he said he felt something change in him.


A Student from New York University takes footage of torture reenactment


Anti-Torture exhibition


Practicing Falun Gong

Later, a student from New York University majoring in filmmaking came to the site. She said she had a class assignment to make a ten-minute documentary movie. She chose to report on Falun Gong. When she saw the torture reenactment for the first time, she was very sympathetic to the Falun Gong practitioners. She took the film footage carefully, interviewed the practitioners, and recorded the torture reenactment, the exercises, sending forth righteous thoughts and even our putting on make-up for the torture reenactment. When it became dark, we wrapped up the anti-torture exhibition. Since the van had not arrived yet to pick us up, the practitioners began to practice the exercises in the darkness. The student was still recording. Finally, she was about to leave too, as we were leaving. I went over to her and gave her a yellow "Truthfulness Compassion Forbearance" badge and two nice bookmarks. I told her it was a gift to her. I said these things were precious, and I hoped she would treasure them. She said happily that she would.

People learn the truth and sign our petition to support Falun Dafa

One mother with an older boy and a little girl came by. The mother and the elder brother signed their names to our petition and then they left, holding the young girl by the hand But the little girl broke away from her mother's hand and ran back to sign her name.

And so went another normal and serene day in Manhattan. The practitioners were all very happy. It was a good day. Many people took the truth-clarification materials, learned the truth of Falun Gong and the persecution in China, signed their names to our petition and learned the exercises.