(Clearwisdom.net) Beginning in 2008 and up until now, all levels of government in Weifang City, Shandong Province, led by city CCP (Chinese Communist Party) secretary Zhang Xinqi, have participated in the persecution of Falun Gong. The departments included city leaders, the Politics and Law Committee, various police departments, judicial departments, police stations, the city 610 Office, the public security office, and various street, township, village, and neighborhood committees.

In 2008, a reporter from a Beijing TV station went to Anqiu City and shot footage of Falun Gong truth-clarification messages on several streets. These people tried to report to the city leaders and the police department leaders. At the time, the leaders were away and they didn't find any related persons in charge in Anqiu City, so they reported to an official at the provincial level. It was reported that this official strongly criticized Zhang Xinqi and threatened to fire him [for truth-clarification messages appearing on his watch]. Zhang immediately held a meeting, making Falun Gong the number one issue. He stipulated to his subordinates that wherever a "problem" appeared, the official in charge would be fired. He also demanded that the Politics and Law Committee, police departments, 610 Office and other departments intensify their persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Everyone who publicly practiced Falun Gong before and after 1999 (the year the persecution began) was on the 610 Office list. The practitioners were separated into different levels, but each was under surveillance. From the police department to the 610 Office, police station and township and village committees, each practitioner had two to three people assigned to him or her. Each year during holidays or near sensitive dates, public security personnel had to be mobilized or other idle personnel had to be hired to follow and watch practitioners' movements, each time from ten days to a month. When something unusual is identified, they often don't take immediate action. They will make the arrest after a month or longer, so they can arrest all contacts. In special cases, they might follow the practitioner for very long periods in order to increase the scope of an arrest. In some counties, the neighborhood committees report to their superiors once a day or once every few days and this process cascades upward. This tactic has resulted in the arrests of many practitioners, who were then sentenced and put in labor camps over the last three years.

In recent years, the police have increased their efforts to search for practitioners they haven't found. In 2008, the city police department's main building added another floor and upgraded the electronic surveillance equipment. In 2009, they have systematically opened "transformation" classes for all Dafa practitioners in the city. Every practitioner is forced to undergo brainwashing for two to three months.