FLUSHING, New York City—A brief thunderstorm yesterday might have reduced the heat wave temporarily, but today Flushing remained well above 90 degrees.
In sharp contrast to pedestrians who shade themselves under awnings or umbrellas, Falun Gong practitioners, braving the heat, have been hitting the streets of Flushing to distribute The Epoch Times newspaper and to advise people to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They have caught a lot of attention.
One Falun Gong practitioner, Ms. Li from the Midwestern U.S., has been out on the streets daily for a week. Her tanned complexion came from working as a volunteer at the outdoor "Quit the CCP" Service Center for about eight hours a day. During the past week in Flushing, this elderly lady has met many people with diverse attitudes towards Falun Gong and the CCP.
Heartfelt Concerns From Flushing Residents
"This morning an elderly couple approached us [at the Service Center] and bowed to us. They told us that they read every edition of The Epoch Times and have never missed edition week," Ms. Li said.
"Two days ago, an old gentleman from Taiwan in his 80's came to us and bowed at us. He said, 'Thank you all. It is very hot. Please take care of yourselves!'" Ms. Li recalled people she had met for the past week.
When a middle-aged man came for a newspaper he said, "Bring down the Communist Party! Long live Falun Gong!" Ms. Li was very amused by his slogan.
She queried the man and he told her that his parents had paid out of their own pocket to send him to a juvenile reform facility when he was nine, because he was very unruly. His parents thought he would be well looked after there. But what happened to him there was nothing that his parents could ever have anticipated.
"What did we do there? Hard labor; Hard child labor!" said the man.
"We children were made to move bricks. I saw with my own eyes that children were killed by collapsing bricks. The juvenile reform facility is not a place that exists to discipline me, but instead to turn me into a worse kid. Some Chinese people don't believe the facts revealed in your anti-torture exhibits or organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China's labor camps. But I believe you because I have suffered from the CCP's persecution. The Communist Party has no regard for human life."
Ms. Li said, "Those who stopped to talk to us said one thing in common—you are China's hope! We have also been offered water by Flushing residents. Some elderly Chinese people approached us and told us to take care of ourselves in the hot weather. I really feel their heartfelt concern!" Her eyes welled up with tears as she recalled.
After having been accosted and berated by Chinese people in Flushing whose behavior was reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution, Falun Gong practitioners said they felt both kindness and viciousness from their compatriots in Flushing.
Responding to Insults with a Smile
During the interview, a Chinese man in his 50's approached us and picked up a copy of The Epoch Times newspaper and nodded at the volunteers at the "Quit the CCP" service center. At the same time, an old woman shouted at the man, "They are traitors! Don't take their newspapers!"
She kept raising her voice as she berated the Service Center. The man who took the newspaper immediately responded, "What do you think you are doing? You know nothing about the history of the Communist Party."
The old woman refused to step down. She kept shouting insults and caused a scene. Onlookers stopped to watch the commotion, but a NYPD officer came immediately to stop her. A female Falun Gong practitioner advised the old woman to move across the street, but the old woman shouted at her, "No one wants to read your newspaper."
Little did she expect that five men nearby raised the Epoch Times newspapers in their hands and shouted back, "We all read The Epoch Times." The old woman was speechless and turned red with rage. Then she turned around and left. Falun Gong practitioners smiled and continued to distribute The Epoch Times. Order and serenity was restored.
After the commotion, I interviewed the man who took the newspaper. "She has no heart. I know many high-level Chinese government officials have immigrated to the United States. They made investments here in order to get Green Cards. I know a Chinese government official in my neighboring county in China. His wife and children have immigrated to the United States. How did they obtain so much money? Corruption for sure; they are the kind of people who will stop at nothing to get money from corruption and to protect the interest of the corrupt Communist Party," the man said in a southern Chinese accent.
Ms. Li recalled a story that happened a few days ago. A man kept shouting curse words at a female Falun Gong practitioner distributing The Epoch Times in Flushing. A small crowd gathered around them. An old man declared, "A man does not use such language to a woman!"
Next a woman added, "A man must not curse at a woman!" The crowd joined, "That's right!" The thug felt defeated and left.
The heat wave continues, but Falun Gong practitioners persevere in their cause in Flushing. For nine years since July 1999, Falun Gong practitioners have been protesting and clarifying the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong in a peaceful manner.
On May 20, just two days after the first assault on Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, a plump old Chinese man gave a group of accosted Falun Gong practitioners a thumb up and shouted at the assailants, "For eight years the Communist Party have failed to eliminate Falun Gong! Who do you think you are trying to eliminate Falun Gong? Look at yourselves! A bunch of thugs and ruffians!"
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