Photo Report: Chicago Conference Activities June 23, 2001
Today, hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners gathered in Chicago for the beginning of the fourth Chicago Experience Sharing Conference. A group of practitioners met at Federal Plaza, in downtown Chicago, where a press conference, which included readings of congratulatory letters from members of Congress and speeches by formerly detained Falun Gong practitioners, was held.
Following the press conference, those present marched through downtown Chicago, while other practitioners gathered at Chinatown and participated in a Chinatown parade. The weather was very temperate and comfortable; extremely unusual for Chicago, which is normally very hot at this time of year. As a result there were many people walking the streets and as a result came to know more about Dafa. Both parades, which included a memorial to those practitioners who died for their belief in China, furthered the awareness of the people of Chicago through the use of banners, flyers, music, and other peaceful means.
Some of the parade banners read Falun Dafa and Truthfulness~Compassion~Forbearance while others exposed the evil in China by proclaiming things like Break the Bonds: End the Persecution of Falun Gong in China. People watching the parade were very interested to read the Falun Dafa literature and walked up to ask practitioners for it. A few bus drivers stopped their buses and opened the doors to ask for a flyer, as well as drivers in cars passing by. There were more than a few Chinese families who came up to ask for the Falun Dafa literature as well. Overall, the parades were very successful in spreading the Fa [law and principle] and telling the truth about the situation in China. The police officers who were stationed along the parade route were very friendly and smiled at the practitioners. A few even took personal photos of the event.
In the afternoon, a photo exhibition was held in Chicagos Chinatown. Most practitioners however, participated in activities held in front of the Chinese Consulate to send forth righteous thoughts and practice the exercises. In the evening statements from practitioners who had been detained were read in front of the consulate.