Brooklyn Residents Learn about and Support Falun Gong
(Clearwisdom.net) On Friday, May 7, 2004, Falun Gong practitioners from the Metropolitan New York area started celebrating the 12th anniversary of Falun Dafa's introduction and the 5th World Falun Dafa Day. Practitioners went to the plaza in front of the Brooklyn Borough Hall and performed songs and dances. The song "Falun Dafa is good" resounded through the plaza. Brooklyn is the largest of five boroughs in New York City. The area around the plaza is also Brooklyn's political and economical center. The street is packed with crowds all the time.
  Celebration in front of the Brooklyn Borough Hall |
  A practitioner reads a proclamation from local officials in honor of World Falun Dafa Day |
  A practitioner relating facts regarding the persecution |
  Dragon dance |
  Celestial maiden dance |
  Exercise demonstration |
Celebration in front of the Brooklyn Borough Hall
On the early morning of May 7, a rainstorm was followed by bright sunshine and a beautiful day. Falun Gong practitioners gathered in front of the borough government hall to celebrate in advance the fifth World Falun Dafa Day. Decorated with banners, balloons, lotus flowers, drum players, dragon dance, celestial maidens and display boards, the plaza was beautiful, shining and peaceful.
A blue banner with golden-colored words, "Falun Dafa is great" and a red banner with yellow words, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" echoed each other and were extremely eye-catching in the sunshine. A giant vertical banner with English and Chinese words, "May 13, World Falun Dafa Day" displayed on the top steps told people about this special occasion.
Falun Gong practitioners practiced the exercises with the melodious music. Their "slow, gentle, and rounded" movements were stretching and elegant. One after another, passersby stopped to watch, some used their cell phones to take pictures.
In the opening remarks, Ms. Clearine Hunter expressed the practitioners' highest respect towards the founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi and thanked him for introducing Dafa to the entire world. She explained the origin of May 13 -- the World Falun Dafa Day and its significance, the 12-year-journey of Dafa's worldwide spread, and called upon people to help stop the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Several western practitioners of different ages introduced their personal experiences of practicing Dafa and the benefits they obtained through the cultivation. Two Chinese practitioners recounted the plight of their parents, who were arrested and sentenced to labor camps simply because of their practice of Falun Dafa. Mr. Xiao Jin related the persecution encountered by his 66-year-old mother, who was abducted on March 13 this year and is currently facing a 3-5 year sentence in prison.
A practitioner held in her hands photos of young children who lost their parents or even their own lives in this persecution, and told of the suffering the children encountered.
During the process, practitioners read the local government officials' proclamations in honor of World Falun Dafa Day.
The lively and colorful performances pushed the celebration to a climax and won rounds of applause. The drum team's performance was especially inspiring. Accompanied by the song, "Falun Dafa is good", the powerful sounds of the drums resounded in the plaza. A colorful dragon danced up and down around the plaza and was a favorite of the children. The celestial maiden dancers gracefully performed a long-ribbon dance, expressing the wish that heaven and earth will be celebrating together.
  TV news reporting on the Taiwanese Drum Team |
A local TV reporter interviews a western practitioner participating in the Dragon dance |
  A reporter learning the practice |
  Kids read about the Falun Gong exercises, the persecution in China, and the Petals of Peace project |
  Passersby stopped to join in workshops to make paper lotus flowers for the Petals of Peace project |
  Many passersby learned about Falun Dafa, the persecution in China, and local activities in Brooklyn. Some stopped to learn the exercises. |
  People sign a petition in support of Charles Lee, an American imprisoned in a Chinese jail for over one year on false charges. |
Proclamations from local government officials in honor of World Falun Dafa Day
Local government officials at different levels in Brooklyn successively issued proclamations or sent congratulatory letters from this celebration. Nine proclamations were received on that day to honor World Falun Dafa Day.
Congressman Ed Towns, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, State Senator Carl Andrews, State Assemblymen John Lavelle, Roger Green and Nick Perry, and New York City council members Letitia James and Albert Vann are among those who sent proclamations or congratulatory letters in honor of the fifth World Falun Dafa Day.
Support from the local people
During the celebration, people expressed their support and fondness. Our truth-clarifying materials ran out after nearly 2500 English newsletters were distributed. Many people stopped to watch practitioners demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises, to listen to the practitioners' speeches, or to talk with practitioners and asked for more information about Falun Dafa, the persecution in China and exercise instruction class schedule. Some people learned the exercises on the spot. Two spectators joined practitioners to do the meditation. When an elderly gentleman mimicked the movements of the second set of exercises, a practitioner handed him some introduction information. The gentleman was very happy and kept saying, "Thank you!" He also played a flute to accompany the song of "Falun Dafa is good." Two young Chinese people watched most of the performance and accepted truth-clarifying materials.
People lined up to come to the "Petals of Peace" booth, and they asked for the significance of making the paper lotus flowers and how to make them. The practitioners by the booth were very busy in showing people how to fold the flowers and answering questions. As soon as one group of people left, another group came. When people learned that they could sign a petition to condemn the persecution in China, many took the initiative to sign it.
Attention from media outlets
NBC TV spent quite some time to film the event, including the exercise demonstration and the Petals of Peace program. The reporter also learned a few movements before the camera and interviewed some practitioners who gave speeches and participated in the dragon dance. They also interviewed the drum team. New Tang Dynasty TV filmed the entire celebration.
A reporter from the weekly newspaper Bay News watched most of the celebration. He also interviewed a Chinese practitioner whose mother was recently abducted and detained for practicing Falun Gong. Reporters from World Journal and Epoch Times also came to cover the event.
At 2pm, the celebration concluded with the song, "Falun Dafa is good". Falun Gong practitioners from the metropolitan area will push the celebration to a climax on May 13, the World Falun Dafa Day in downtown Manhattan, and they will also hold celebrations in Flushing on May 16.
