U.S. Newswire: Washington-Area Youth Bike to Chicago; 'Pedals of Peace' Urges End to Persecution of Children in China
5/12/2004 10:17:00 AM A group of 16-19 year olds will leave the nation's capital May 13th to embark
upon a 700-mile bicycle ride to Chicago, IL. Calling themselves "Pedals of
Peace," they are riding to save the lives of children and teens in China
who are being persecuted because of their spiritual beliefs. The Pedals of Peace were inspired by a young Falun Gong practitioner, Fadu,
whose father was killed for his beliefs. In 1999, the Chinese government
outlawed the practice and began a campaign of persecution that continues to this
day. Now three years old, Fadu travels the world with her mother telling people
about their loss. "We don't know the exact number of children suffering from the
persecution, but we do know it has affected kids from eight months-to-17 years
old, some of whom died in police custody. Others have had their families torn
apart," says Keith Ware, an adult organizer of the bike ride. Ten-year-old Herndon, VA resident and Falun Gong practitioner Karen Chen
won't be riding to Chicago, but she urges her local officials to support the
bike ride. She tells them about her grandmother who was deprived of all her
rights in China. "I miss my grandma and want to see her. I hope that the
persecution will end so then all the other mothers, fathers, relatives, and
children can be safe." The Save the Kids Ride will travel north, then west from Washington, DC
through Cumberland, MD, Pittsburgh, PA, Columbus OH, and Indianapolis, IN,
arriving in Chicago on May 21. They will be greeted by supporters who have
tracked their journey on the Web site http://www.pedalsofpeace.org.
Several adults, including experienced bikers, will join the teens in their
continuous, relay-style ride. Other activities include an international postcard
campaign and an art project. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice of meditation and
exercises with teachings based on the universal principles of
"Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." It is practiced freely in over 50
countries worldwide. The Falun Dafa Information Center, which tracks the
persecution in China, has verified more than 850 (1) deaths there, but they say
the number could be much higher. (1) Currently, the verified death toll stands at 955.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=120-05122004
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