United States: Chicago Residents Gather to Support the Wave of Renouncing the CCP

On February 21st, 2009, in the bitterly cold weather, the Midwest Quitting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) Service Center organised an activity at the Chinatown Plaza in Chicago to support the over 50 million Chinese people who have withdrawn from the CCP and its associated organisations. Associate Professor Xu Yin from Qinghua University and Mr. Zheng from Anhui Province, who came to America recently, exposed the CCP's persecution of the Chinese people.

Most residents who participated in the gathering were immigrations from Mainland China. Since The Epoch Times newspaper published the editorial series, Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party on Dec 19th, 2004, up to Feb. 19th, 2009, more than 50 million Chinese people have renounced the CCP and its affiliated organisations. The quitting the CCP activity offers Chinese people an opportunity and the support to register their disapproval and separate themselves from the CCP's atrocities. This strong spiritual movement is changing the history of China and the fate of the whole world.

At the gathering, Epoch Times columnist Mr. Jin Zhong, previously an Associate Professor at Qinghua University, Xu Yin and Mr. Zheng from Anhui Province delivered speeches.

Professor Xu Yin, who had been teaching at Qinghua University in Beijing for 13 years, was persecuted because he practises Falun Gong. On March 13th, 2006, dozens of police broke into Professor Xu's home. After finding several books on Falun Gong, Xu Yin was arrested. He later was illegally sentenced to 2 years at the Beijing Tuanhe Labour Camp. Since Xu Yin firmly resisted the persecution, he was detained in solitary confinement for 8 months. He was forced to sit on a small stool and maintain the same posture for a long time. He could only sleep 5-6 hours a day. He was not allowed to go to the restroom for long periods of time. The food at Tuanhe Labour Camp is horrible, yet during the 17 months he was held there, he was not allowed to buy any extra food, and his health deteriorated. He was also monitored tightly after he was released.In August 2008, he quit his job in China and fled to the United States. Xun Yin said, "I just came from Beijing, I know well enough about it. Beijing actually is a city of terror. It persecutes dissidents and Falun Gong using secret methods. It puts people in jail illegally without any trial, and these things have been done secretly.Mr. Zheng, from Anhui Province, had been jailed for more than five years and tortured because he practices Falun Gong. His experience shocked many people at the gathering. Mr. Zheng said that the CCP has never changed, not even a little bit; it always controls and oppresses the Chinese people. He said: "China today is no different from decades ago; the only difference is that the CCP has become more cunning and hidden. It has never released its tight control over the Chinese people. For example, after I was released from jail, when I use my identification to check into a hotel, the local authorities will know my whereabouts and send police to monitor and follow me secretly within ten minutes. My telephone conversations are always being tapped. According one of my friends, all the people it regards as activists, dissidents, and people who lost their jobs - their telephone conversations are tapped. The hotels in China have special software. After checking in, your information will be sent to the local police station. It will monitor and follow you if you appeared on its blacklist."

Mr. Zheng said the CCP's control over China is similar to its control of a prison. He said: "When I was persecuted in prison, the police told me 'The CCTV's news broadcast is designed for the Chinese people, all imprisoned people also need to watch it.' So I know that the CCP regards all the Chinese people as criminals.

After going through the persecution, Xu Yin and Mr. Zheng said that in the US they feel a release in spirit. People at the gathering hoped that more and more people would get away from the CCP's mental control and oppression. After abandoning the CCP, Chinese people will have a much brighter future.

During the march after the gathering, many passers-by also quit the CCP after they became aware of the situation.