"Van Tour to Support the Lawsuit Against Jiang" Wins Support from People of Several States along the Way (Photos)
(Clearwisdom.net) The eight Falun Gong practitioners in the West Coast
"Van Tour to Support the Lawsuit against Jiang" set off on May 11 from
San Francisco, then passed through Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and
Nebraska, and arrived in Iowa on May 20, 2004. The practitioners demonstrated
some of the torture methods used against practitioners in China, and exposed the
ongoing persecution there. (For more detail of torture methods, go to http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/11/24/16156.html).
The van tour caught the attention of local media and people along the way, and
won their support. Police in Arizona Could Not Understand the Persecution in China On May 15, the van tour arrived in Flagstaff, Arizona. The practitioners from
the van tour, along with local practitioners, introduced Falun Gong to the local
people and exposed Jiang's crimes of
genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity. Both local and van tour practitioners practiced the Falun Gong exercises in
Flagstaff's Tempe Beach Park, and displayed posters about Falun Gong and the
persecution. By chance, several other groups were holding activities in the
park. This gave practitioners the opportunity to hand out truth-clarification
literature and to demonstrate the exercises to more people. On the square in front of the Flagstaff City Hall, practitioners from the van
tour held an exercise demonstration, and they also demonstrated the torture
methods used in China against practitioners. When the practitioners arrived
there, two police officers walked over and watched them making preparations. The
practitioners stepped forward and explained the facts of Falun Gong and the
persecution to the police. The police initially listened without paying much
attention, but after watching the demonstration of torture methods and hearing
practitioners' explanations of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, their
attitude changed and they began asking questions about the persecution. The
officers shook their heads while listening, and said that the persecution was
inconceivable. The police became friendly and took many photos of the exercise
and torture demonstrations. New Mexico Citizens Believe That People Have Freedom of Belief On Sunday, May 16, the van tour arrived in New Mexico. Local and van tour
practitioners demonstrated the exercises and the torture methods on the square
in front of City Hall in Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico.
The event was covered by NBC and CBS. Passers-by learned the exercises and asked
for information about local practice sites.
A Christian person said, "People should have the right of belief. But
the Chinese government persecutes people who have belief, for fear of losing
control." One woman said, after accepting a postcard to help rescue Charles
Li, "I know that Charles Li is imprisoned in China. I am following the
case." Another woman admired the contributions of Falun Gong practitioners
after accepting the truth-clarification literature and said, "I wish to be
like you. What can I do for you?" The practitioners told her to write or
call the President and human rights organizations and ask for their support for
the practitioners in China. She said she would do so. Reporter Thought It Was Important to Have More People Know About the
Persecution of Falun Gong The van tour arrived in Des Moines, the capitol city of Iowa. Reporters from
the local FOX media affiliate arrived before the scheduled event and talked with
the practitioners from the van tour. The reporter asked the photographer to take
photos from different angles, and explained the torture demonstration in his
report.
After the interview, the reporter said, while shaking a practitioner's
hand, that it was important to have more people know about the persecution
occurring in China. He thanked the practitioners and said he hoped that the
persecution would be ended as soon as possible. After the conclusion of the activity in Des
Moines, the van tour traveled to Davenport, 167 miles east of Des Moines. When the van tour arrived at the activity venue in Davenport, a reporter
from the Quad City Times, the largest local newspaper, was waiting for them.
The reporter had interviewed a practitioner, Steven, over the phone the day
before and published a newspaper report. Some of the audience members said
that they came to see the demonstration of torture after reading the report. The reporter from the Quad City Times continued talking with
practitioners for nearly an hour, and learned the Falun Gong exercises after
finishing the interview. After learning Exercise One, he said he felt
relaxed and knew that it was a great practice. He shook hands with each
practitioner before departing to write his report. Many passers-by asked for more information, and audience members were
shocked after watching the torture demonstration. They expressed support for
the van tour and for Falun Gong. Practitioner Steven said that the van tour would go to Wisconsin and then
arrive at its final destination, Chicago, on May 21.
Demonstration of torture methods
Media interview
Passers-by learn the Falun Gong exercises
Reporter from FOX explains the torture
methods
Reporter from the Quad City Times learns the Falun Gong exercises after
the interview
Media in Colorado interview the practitioners
Practitioners interviewed by media in Nebraska
Chinese version available at
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/5/22/75282.html
Yearly Archive
Printer Version
feedback@clearwisdom.net