(Clearwisdom.net) Clearwisdom.net reporter Lin Jing reports in New York: On August 29, 2004, while New York City Mayor Bloomberg and New York State's Governor Pataki were walking along Broadway, a famous street in the Theater district, they ran into a Falun Gong practitioner from Canada who was distributing truth clarification fliers, and accepted the fliers from the practitioner.

On August 28, prior to the Republic National Convention, more than a hundred Falun Gong practitioners from Toronto, Canada arrived in New York City, to assist in public awareness activities that explained the facts of the persecution to the wide range of people living in and visiting New York. Practitioners participated in activites such as the "Great Wall of Courage" where they line up for several blocks across from a famous hotel where prominent people were staying and also the "Corners of Courage" where practitioners held banners on each corner for several streets to clarify the truth to the public.

Mr. Lin is learning to practice the Falun Gong exercise

A reporter from a TV station is learning about the facts of the persecution.

Canadian Falun Gong practitioners on the street in New York City

In order to guarantee the security for the RNC, New York police deployed police at every corner of the street. On August 29, Falun Gong practitioners from Toronto were divided into several groups and distributed truth clarification fliers along the 5^th Avenue, calling for an end to the persecution. On Broadway where there was a sea of people, people saw Falun Gong practitioners holding up posters, unfolding banners and distributing fliers.

In the afternoon, RNC delegates in dark suits streamed into Broadway in groups from all directions, many delegates showed interest in the flyer Falun Gong practitioners distributed entitled, "How the Persecution of Falun Gong Affects the US."

Shortly after, in the company of more than 30 plainclothes police and 20 reporters from the media, three prominent figures quickly walked down Broadway. A Falun Gong practitioner wearing a T-shirt with words, "Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong," was standing in the middle of the street distributing fliers. The practitioner came into contact with the three VIPs, and handed out a flier to the one in the middle first and to two others beside him. All the media caught the scene of the two VIPs accepting the material. According to a bystander, the man in the middle was New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the one beside him who accepted the material was New York State Governor, George. Pataki.

Falun Gong practitioners from Toronto noticed that most of New York residents not only have learned about the truth of Falun Gong, and the persecution in China through practitioners' truth clarification, some people with a sense of justice also offered help and suggestions to practitioners. A local university professor, stayed with practitioners for an hour and learned about the facts of the persecution, he took the initiative to tell practitioners where most of RNC delegates gathered and where the VIPs gathered. Seeing practitioners being so quiet, he said, "You must shout loudly to let those people hear your voices, let me show you how." So, he shouted loudly to RNC delegates passing by, "Please help stop the persecution of Falun Gong!" He said, "You should be like those New Yorkers, be tougher!"

Falun Gong practitioners' truth clarification activities on weekend also included beautiful Chinese traditional dancing and waist drum performance. In New York City's Central Park, practitioners' dance performances became the focus of New York residents and the media. A reporter from the New York Times lingered for several hours where practitioners gave their performances, watching and interviewing practitioners. Reporters from the well known NBC TV also interviewed the practitioners.

Posting date: 9/3/2004
Original article date: 9/2/2004
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/9/2/83171.html

 Yearly Archive  Printer Version