(Minghui.org) The Hillcrest Community in Midtown Little Rock, Arkansas, in the West South Central United States, held their 30^th annual “HarvestFest in Hillcrest” festival on October 12, 2024. The day was filled with bright sunshine, and an endless stream of visitors attended the event. Practitioners set up a booth to introduce Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa), distributed leaflets to raise awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong, and collected signatures on a petition to support legislation to help end the persecution. Many people stopped to learn about this traditional mind-body cultivation practice, and some wished to learn the Falun Gong exercises.

Falun Dafa practitioners participate in the “HarvestFest in Hillcrest” on October 12, 2024.

The event drew a lot of people from across the state. Many young people stopped at the Falun Dafa booth and asked questions about meditation and cultivation. Several people said they were looking for information about this kind of practice.

Practitioners also presented a petition for people to support the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Falun Gong Protection Act. They hope to gain the support of the state’s senators with the public’s help. The bill was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June this year and is currently being reviewed by the U.S. Senate. The bill aims to sanction individuals and entities involved in the CCP’s live organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience, taking a step towards ending this atrocity that violates human rights.

Some people said they’d heard Falun Gong was banned in China, and they were shocked that such a good practice was suppressed. They soon realized that under the Communist Party’s dictatorship, people could not enjoy freedom of belief, and they also sympathized with the situation of the Chinese people.

A young man said he reads The Epoch Times and he’d heard about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong and organ harvesting, but thought it was a black market operation. He didn’t expect that it was a systematic act supported by the CCP behind the scenes to kill people for profit. Some people said they’d watched Shen Yun and knew about the persecution of Falun Gong. Others saw the petition form and came up to ask how they could support Falun Gong.

One couple had moved to the area from Washington, D.C., and said they had heard about Falun Gong in Washington and the long-term cruel persecution by the CCP in China. Many people expressed their support for Falun Gong by signing the petition. Many said that they hoped that the bill would eventually take effect. They thanked practitioners for participating in the event and for letting people know about this important issue.

Background

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. Its teachings are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Millions of people who have embraced Falun Dafa’s teachings and exercises have experienced improved health and well-being.

The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Falun Dafa’s main book, Zhuan Falun, has been translated into more than 40 languages. Mr. Li Hongzhi and Falun Dafa have received over 5,800 proclamations, awards, resolutions and letters of support from governments. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is cherished by people all around the world, but this belief is severely persecuted in China.