Oakland, California: Hundreds of People Quit the CCP During Mid-Autumn Street Fair

(Minghui.org) After pausing for two years due to the pandemic, the Mid-Autumn Street Fair was held on August 20 and 21 in Oakland, the third largest city in California’s Bay Area. Falun Dafa practitioners set up a booth to introduce the practice to passersby and tell them about the ongoing persecution in China.

This is the 22nd year practitioners have participated in this event. Drawn by the posters, a banner with the words, “Falun Dafa is Good,” and soothing music many people stopped to talk with practitioners.

Twenty-three years have passed since the persecution began in July 1999 and practitioners continue to be suppressed in China for their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, practitioners told people. They explained how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been harming innocent people since taking power in 1949. Many people decided to renounce their memberships in the CCP organizations, including its Youth League and Young Pioneers.

Hundreds of people signed the petition to condemn the CCP after talking with practitioners during the Mid-Autumn Street Fair in Oakland on August 20 and 21. Many people talked with practitioners and 203 people quit the CCP.

A woman named Hong from Shanghai asked for a copy of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. She said she borrowed the book from a friend and read it once, but now she wanted her own copy. She explained that she did not know the CCP well in the past. Now she has realized that the Party does all kinds of bad deeds to deceive people and rakes in profit for corrupt Party officials. “In the past several months, Shanghai has been under lockdown and people have suffered so much,” she said. “Now more and more Shanghai residents are against the CCP.”

A practitioner handed Hong a copy of the Nine Commentaries and asked if she would like to withdraw from the Party using a pseudonym. “I will use my real name,” Hong replied, “I am a member of the CCP, Youth League, and Young Pioneers. I do not want any of them now!”

Fan, in his 60s, stopped at the booth. A practitioner greeted him and told him how millions of people have already quit the CCP. Fan said, “What you said is correct. The CCP is good at deceiving people and harming people. It is a demon and should be destroyed.”

When asked if he joined any CCP organizations Fan said, “Yes, but I do not take it seriously.” The practitioner explained that when a person joins any of it’s organizations they vow to devote his or her life to the regime. The person will be implicated when the CCP is held accountable for it’s crimes.

Fan immediately said he wanted to renounce his membership in the CCP, Youth League, and Young Pioneers.

Some people tried to give practitioners donations. Practitioners thanked them and explained that donations are not accepted. Noticing that some practitioners in their 80s are very healthy, quite a few passersby wanted to learn the exercises and asked where they could learn them.

Jian, a man in his 50s, chatted with practitioners. He said his 80 year old mother was infected during the pandemic. Doctors said she would not recover and her family began planning her funeral. One neighbor suggested she read the Falun Dafa teachings and she accepted the advice. “We did not expect it would work,” Jian said, “But my mother recovered and is very healthy. Mom also told everyone what happened and says Falun Dafa is great.”

During the two-day street fair, 203 people quit the CCP organizations and 436 people signed the petition to reject the CCP.