September 28, 2001 was our 8th day of the SOS! Global RescueWalk from Los Angeles to San Francisco. We arrived in the city of Santa Maria, which has a population of over 100,000 people. Before our arrival, few people heard of the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
A few days ago, a fellow practitioner called us and said that the Mayor of Santa Maria was going to issue a proclamation and was planning to walk with us. Our early arrival made his plan impossible. But he still successfully rearranged the press conference. We greatly appreciated his support.
