Influenced by the Chinese regime's negative propaganda, some Chinese people in New York City do not know the truth of Falun Gong and hold negative opinions and sometime even a hostile attitude towards Dafa and practitioners.
On August 18, 2001, New York practitioners held a photo exhibition at the Confucius Plaza in Chinatown to clarify the truth to Chinese speaking people. Confucius Plaza is situated at the center of Chinatown and attracts many visitors. Practitioners set up Dafa banners, displayed many photos and large-scale posters depicting group practices. The display formed a circle and practitioners practiced inside. Loud speakers broadcasted the wonderful experiences of practitioners as well as details of the April 25th Incident and "The Truth of the Tiananmen Self-Immolation." Many people stopped by to listen to the broadcast and look at the pictures. They showed sympathy to the ordeals practitioners are suffering and suspicion towards Jiang Zemin's propaganda.
The Chinese consulate apparently had hired a few thugs to disrupt the Hongfa event. These thugs slandered Dafa and practitioners. When a practitioner took a photo of them, they attempted to grab the camera and hit the practitioner. Police officers came, put those thugs on record, and warned them that they would be arrested if they were to do it again.
Practitioners also set up information tables at three other busy areas of Chinatown to distribute Dafa information and clarify the truth. The effects were very good.
The series of activities in New York City in recent weeks have helped awaken people's sense of justice and their conscience and are eliminating the misunderstanding of many Chinese people towards Dafa. The activities have established a good foundation for future Hongfa activities in New York.
