United States: Interview with a Volunteer at the Service Center for Quitting the CCP in Flushing, New York

China's New York Consul General Peng Keyu admitted to his behind-the-scenes role in orchestrating the attacks by a group of thugs against Falun Gong practitioners at the Flushing Service Center for Quitting the CCP. The Communist Party has again reared its ugly head, this time taking advantage of people's highly charged emotions over the recent earthquake.

Chinese Consular Officials Work Behind the Scenes to Incite Crowds to Violent Attacks on Volunteers at the Service Center for Quitting the CCP

The Consulate hired thugs to spread lies in emotional Chinatown crowds, telling them that Falun Gong doesn't care about the earthquake victims, and that Falun Gong was interfering with efforts to collect and provide relief to earthquake victims. The lies are told repeatedly, and the hired thugs whip the crowds into a frenzy, often resulting in violence toward the many Falun Gong practitioners in the area. This situation has gone on for almost two weeks now.

The Service Center for Quitting the CCP in Flushing has operated for more than three years. Over that time, it has seen its share of rain and sunshine. Let us take a look at the people who made this Center a reality.

Standing before me is a woman in her 60s who told me she has handed out booklets and explaining the importance of quitting the Party to people for more than three years.

The first thing out of Ms. Feng's mouth was, "The Communist Party is in fact attacking Falun Gong by attacking the volunteers at the Center."

"We held a rally on Saturday, May 17th, 2008, to support the 36 million people who have withdrawn from the Party. The Party dispatched many thugs to interfere with the event. First we observed several minutes of silence to mourn the earthquake victims, while at the same time the thugs swore vulgarities and never quieted down. They didn't listen to any of the speakers, either."

"As I have told you, we have been here for more than three years; it's not like we came here yesterday. The first thugs that showed up were adults; later lots of students arrived who followed suit. Obviously, those kids didn't know what Falun Gong really was and were simply doing as they were told. The police tried to separate them from us, but when the cops weren't watching, they ran up and attacked us. One volunteer's head bled, and some of our exhibition boards were smashed. They were acting as if Flushing is China under Communist rule. The police later escorted us to another location to protect us from being hurt. The Party has torn off its mask and resorted to a blatant attacks out of desperation. We were not fearful or angry, because we know we are helping people used to lies by showing them the truth. If they know the truth, they will have a good future. We bear no hatred, but we feel sorry for the youngsters who were brainwashed into committing a crime."

Flushing Service Center for Quitting the CCP Established in 2005

"The Epoch Times newspaper published a series of commentaries entitled The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party on November 18th, 2004, which laid wide open and exposed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for what it really is, in-depth. After reading the booklets, people were able to see the evil nature of the CCP and they would of course want to break away from it, which would save them from being destroyed along with the Party. We realised the importance, so we established the Flushing Service Center for Quitting the CCP in early 2005. We put up a table in front of the public library on which we laid out several copies of the Nine Commentaries and other relevant materials and help people to quit the CCP."

"Everyone who works at the Center is a volunteer. At one point we felt that we hadn't done enough and should increase our presence, so we changed from being there one day a week to two to three days a week."

"In May 2005, as the weather grew hotter and more people sat inside the library to get away from the heat, we felt it was a good opportunity to reach more people, so we changed our schedule to 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., sometimes to even 7:00 or 8 p.m. to make sure that we were there for nine hours a day. We took turns manning the table, so more people could have access to the materials. We also brought a television to play a DVD of the Nine Commentaries and made more exhibition boards. People stopped to read them. Many have learned the facts since."

Many Touching Stories Over the Years

"In the past three years we've encountered all types of people. Some resented it, some swore at us due to misconceptions, some were confused, while some came to us to quit the Party and its affiliated organisations, and some came to express support."

"Last year, two Chinese college students sat outside the library. I walked up to them and handed them some materials. They took it but were still perplexed and asked questions such as, 'Where do you get the numbers [of people who've quit the Party] from? Is it authentic?" I explained to them that the movement to withdraw from the Party is indeed taking place, and individual or group renunciations get published on the Epoch Times through various channels. The actual number is much higher, because people living in remote villages in China have no access to the Internet, so it's difficult for them to relay the information to the website. These folks post their renunciations on electricity poles, so they in fact have also quit the Party but they are not counted in this number."

"Those two students understood what I was saying and wrote 'I hereby quit the Red Young Pioneers and the Communist Youth League' on our writing board. They were happy, and I was happy for them."

"Another young man didn't believe at first, but he changed his mind after I explained certain things to him. He was excited that he had finally figured things out and gave me two large peaches out of appreciation. The process of helping people learn the truth is very inspirational for me."

"Once, a middle-aged man took some information from me but asked, 'Why are you doing this?' I smiled and said, 'I've benefited physically and mentally from the Falun Gong practice, so I want to share this wonderful practice with more people.' 'How have you benefited from it?' He was curious. 'Well, I used to be really sick and I couldn't eat. I used to vomit all the time, and I suffered from insomnia. It was hard for me to get medical treatment, although it didn't help much anyway. I stopped taking pills after I began practising Falun Gong, because I was so healthy that I no longer had any need for medication. It's a great feeling to be free of illness. And that's only one aspect of it. I also became a better person. Before, I was selfish and never considered the needs of others, but now I'm different. I'm in my 70s and should be enjoying myself at home with my family; so, why do I come here every day? Because Falun Dafa is so wonderful, and the principles Truth, Compassion and Tolerance have helped shape my life, so I felt the need to help others benefit also.' 'Great job!' he said."

"Sometimes when some people threaten us, some others would step forward and say to them, 'Don't you dare touch a hair on her head!' The Good Samaritans knew what we were doing, so they supported and protected us."

"Some people who have learned the truth came to us to quit the Party and often gave us a thumbs-up and said, 'You guys are doing a great job!' 'Keep it up, you've worked very hard!' Usually, we are not that much affected by the nay-sayers because our goal is to dispel the lies and help more people. I think many people have already benefited from Falun Gong to a different extent, and I'm truly happy for them."

Ms. Gao is also a volunteer. She said, "I've been at this centre for more than two years. Once a man came to us three times. The first time he asked, 'What are you doing here?' I told him it's the 'Quitting the CCP Center.' He didn't understand the significance of it and walked away."

"After a while he came back and we chatted like old friends. He looked at me and asked, 'Are you a Falun Gong practitioner?' I said yes, and he asked, 'Why do you practise Falun Gong?' I was glad to tell him, 'Look, I'm 70 years old and I'm as healthy as a horse. I keep telling people here everyday. I used to be so ill that even staying home was torture.' He was intrigued by the improvement in my health. I asked him whether he is a Communist Party member, he gave me an ambiguous answer before walking away."

"Soon enough, he returned for the third time. I didn't want to lose my chance to help him. I told him, 'The Communist Party is an evil specter from the Soviet Union; how can it do us any good? The numerous political campaigns the Party has launched have resulted in the death of millions of innocent Chinese. It's not worth it to cling onto the Party, and you can quit it by using a pseudonym. And he did."

"At another time, a man not only quit for himself but also for his friend. He left with a big smile on his face."

"One person came to our site and shared his feelings with us, 'The Party has murdered so many people through one political movement after another, and my father was one of the victims. The Party has never loved the people, because all of the movements target the people. I know only too well the true nature of the Party, and our entire family hates the Party.' Another person said to me, 'You are truly great! I support you!' I was so elated that so many expressed support for a right cause."

Volunteers Working to Help Their Fellow Chinese Countrymen

Ms. Feng also brought up another issue, "We often get asked the question, 'How much are you getting paid for doing this?' We would kindly tell people, 'We are not doing this for money; there are other things we can do to make money. We are trying to rescue people, and each one of us came of our own will. We not only do not take money, but we pay for the materials that we hand out. These flyers and booklets are free for you to take, but we paid for printing costs. Once people know the truth, they would be able to tell good from evil, right from wrong, so it's totally worth our time and effort."

"Most of the time, people who man the table at the Quitting the CCP Center are retired women and men. Their average age is around 65, and some are 75. We are here to help people, and in the winter when it's hard to walk in the bone-chilling cold I would remind myself, 'Why not help the Chinese people so they can separate themselves from an evil regime and have a bright future? So I was able to persist."

"We overcame problems too numerous to mention in maintaining this site. Some volunteers suffered back injuries and foot aches. Some have to do house chores or take care of grandchildren. Nevertheless, every one of us was able to stay on top of things and make it through the years, although it was not the easiest thing in the world to do. We share something in common - the determination to help people obtain a good future."

The Service Center Exposes the CCP's Crimes

Ms. Yi, a spokeswoman for the Center said, "We hold monthly Quitting the CCP rallies in New York City. Zhou Yongkang, Head of the Political and Judicial Committee of the CCP directed a smear campaign by falsely accusing Falun Gong of interfering with monetary donation for earthquake victims, while in fact many Falun Gong practitioners had already donated money to the victims and mourned for their compatriots at the beginning of the rally.

During the rally the Party-instigated thugs tore up the placard that reads, 'The heavens bless the Chinese people.' Their violent behavior challenges the rule of law in America.

The Communist Party actually suppressed warnings about the earthquake and concealed predictions from the public. The collapsed school buildings were a result of corrupt officials who embezzled money and corrupt contractors who used cheap wire instead of more expensive re-bar to reinforce the concrete. The Party refused international help within the first 72 hours following the earthquake, which was the optimal time-window for pulling people out alive. Now, more than 80,000 people are dead. In an effort to divert public anger, the Party incites hatred against Falun Gong, even in New York City. People who know about the Party can tell that it's playing a familiar ruse of deception and violence. The Quitting the CCP Center exposed the Party's true intentions. The Party will do anything to ensure its own survival, and what it fears the most is people learning the truth about it."

"The Center has always played a crucial role in showing the Party's true colours. We not only have a station in Flushing but also in other parts of New York, throughout many locales in the USA and the rest of the world. We try to make it easy for Chinese people to quit the Party."