Brooklyn, NY: Drums Greet the New Year and Dispel the Haze (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) At noon on February 5, 2006, the Chinese community on Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn, New York became a hubbub of excited voices and thundering firecrackers. The community was celebrating the beginning of the New Year by holding its annual Chinese New Year parade. Falun Gong practitioners glowing with radiating vigor also participated in this parade for the first time after having broken through interference. They festively sang and danced to bring festival greetings and good wishes to the people in the community.

A banner reading "Celebrating New Spring" in Chinese conveyed practitioners' best wishes to the community, and seven celestial maidens danced elegantly behind the banner. The banner reading "Falun Dafa is Great" was brilliant and eye-catching, and the exercise demonstration group kept demonstrating the exercises and took the time in between exercises to wave to crowds of people on both sides of the street, greeting them with "Happy New Year!" The waist drum group glowed with vigor and energy. During the parade, sunshine dispelled dark clouds, and brilliantly shined upon Eighth Avenue.

Falun Gong practitioner Betty expressed that Falun Gong practitioners in this community had applied for permission from the organizer--the Eighth Avenue Chinese Association--to take part in the New Year parade every year, but the organizer rejected their applications with various excuses every year. "I believe real pressure and interference came from the Chinese Consulate. But in America where freedom and democracy are promoted, a non-profit group sponsored by money from taxpayers even rejected Chinese people in the community from taking part in celebrating the Chinese New Year parade. This is a routine tactic employed by the Chinese Communist Party's evil specter, as it attempts to use people's hard-earned money to restrict other people's rights. This is unacceptable in America."

Betty also expressed that while Falun Gong practitioners clarified the truth regarding the prohibition of their participating in the parade, a legal consultant from the Brooklyn District Councilor's office said that they would address how the association deals with the taxpayers' money. A representative from the city councilor's office and persons-in-charge of neighboring communities were surprised that the association would exclude other groups from taking part in the parade. The State Senator's assistant was indignant at the Chinese association's behavior. The police department also felt that it was incomprehensible.

Betty said that after having two to three hours of negotiations and truth clarification, at last an agreement was made with the Chinese association allowing Falun Gong to take part in the Chinese New Year parade this year.

The Falun Gong contingent was warmly received by the community. During the rehearsal, many people took pictures of us. While in the parade, from time to time, one could hear people exclaim, "Falun Gong," "Falun Gong." Many people smiled and greeted Falun Gong practitioners. Many people videotaped and took pictures and read out words on the banners, "Celebrating New Spring," "Falun Dafa is Great," and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." Two westerners asked about learning the exercises.

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Dong said, "We are glad to be able to take part in the parade, and celebrate together with the Chinese people in the community the beginning of the New Year. Since the Chinese communist regime began persecuting Falun Gong, through Chinese embassies and consulates and media outside China, it has spread a lot of lies slandering Falun Gong, and has poisoned the minds of many people. The Chinese community has been deceived the worst. For nearly seven years, on most weekends Falun Gong practitioners came here to display truth clarification picture boards and spread the truth about Falun Gong. We display Falun Gong practitioners' peacefulness, compassion and rationality with our actions, and display the wonderfulness of Falun Dafa. All this has taken root in people's hearts. This year's parade, from people's responses, we can feel that they welcome and appreciate our participation. I hope this Chinese association can better understand the truth of Falun Gong, be free of the control of the Chinese Embassy, and better serve the community."

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Clenryn said, "I really feel sad for the Chinese Association for rejecting our participation in the New Year parades in previous years. They have been here for over a dozen years, and most of them are American citizens. They have been granted many funds from the government each year, but they could not truly respect the principles of life in American society. On the contrary, they applied the set of rules of the communist evil specter to this place. I believe the majority of Chinese people left their native places for freedom, but once these people came to the free land, they still restrain not only their own thoughts, but also other people's thoughts. I am also surprised at the Chinese Communist regime's degree of control over Chinese community in Brooklyn. I believe I'm obliged to report this situation to my administrators. I will not allow the Chinese Communist regime to carry out its persecution policy at the door of my home."