(Clearwisdom.net) The city of Chicago passing a resolution in support of Falun Gong was a battle between righteousness and evil, and it was also a reflection of Dafa practitioners' improvement as a whole.
In June 1999, the city of Chicago, Illinois recognized the beneficial effects of Dafa and issued a proclamation to Master and Dafa. Within less than a month after that proclamation, Jiang launched his persecution against Falun Dafa in China. For various reasons, although a few practitioners continuously clarified the truth using different methods, the large-scale truth clarification work toward the Chicago city government was discontinued. One of the many reasons behind it was such a concern: if we didn't clarify the truth well, the proclamation that had already been issued would be affected, and that would cause greater damage to Dafa.
Jiang's recent visit encouraged Dafa practitioners in Chicago to discard such concerns and worries, and they began to thoroughly clarify the truth in Chicago and in the state of Illinois. Jiang's itinerary was made public one month before his visit, which included a stay in Chicago. We were not sure if he was really going to come to Chicago, but not wanting to take chances, the practitioners in Chicago decided, "Whether or not Jiang comes, we will prepare as if he will come." We also thought that we needed to clarify the truth thoroughly in Chicago and in the state of Illinois, considering it as an important activity. We also planned to clarify the truth to members of Congress and police officers.
Chinese Consulate Tried Hard to Negatively Influence Officials
The evil will take advantage of our omissions whenever possible. We had overlooked truth clarification work, but during the past three years, the local Chinese Consulate went to great lengths to spread lies to the city government in Chicago. When we clarified the truth to people in one city department, the official told us that the Chinese Consulate had sent them a thick stack of anti-Falun Gong materials, while we gave them too little information by comparison. The Chinese Consulate often sent people to slander Falun Gong, which bothered them a great deal. When the city officials became impatient with one person's rhetoric, the Chinese Consulate would send another person to continue slandering Falun Gong.
The Power of Truth Clarification and Righteous Thoughts
Lies are lies. The slanderous statements made by the Chinese Consulate during the past three years collapsed quickly after Dafa practitioners started clarifying the truth and sending forth righteous thoughts.
One Congressman was deeply deceived by the Chinese Consulate, as he acted indifferently at the beginning and did not want to meet with us. Our practitioners patiently clarified the truth and continued to provide him with relevant information and materials. Soon, this Congressman changed his mind and became one of our staunchest supporters.
A district official was over 40 minutes late for a meeting with us. Our practitioners calmly took advantage of this time to send forth righteous thoughts, and when she arrived, this official immediately said that she would support the proposal for the resolution supporting Falun Gong after reading our letter, which surprised even the practitioners themselves. [The resolution can be found at this link: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2002/11/8/28544.html]
Before Jiang's arrival, more than two thirds of the city council members explicitly said that they would support the resolution regarding Falun Gong, and most of the other one third also said that they would agree to this resolution. At this point, the Chinese Consulate's tricks could no longer control the situation.
On October 31, the Human Relations Committee of the City Council held a hearing to discuss the resolution, and six Falun Gong practitioners were present as witnesses to expose the Jiang regime's brutal persecution and slander against Falun Gong. A member of the Human Relations Committee was present as a witness to verify the Chinese Consulate's constant bombardment of the city government regarding Falun Gong. Several City Council members spoke and expressed strong condemnation of the Jiang regime's persecution and full support for Falun Gong practitioners' human rights. The president of the HRC Mr. Billy Ocasio said, "I'm sorry to say that we are not the first to stand out and condemn the persecution against Falun Gong." The committee sent the resolution to the City Council for a vote.
On November 6, in the Chicago City Hall, the resolution in support of Falun Gong was passed unanimously.
Some Experiences
We believe that the main reason for the successful passage of this resolution was the Dafa practitioners' improvement as a whole, as exemplified by their joint effort. Group Fa study during set times and exchanging of experiences formed a group cultivation environment that was beneficial for our improvement as a whole. In this environment, practitioners have a clear understanding of the current situation and their minds are united.
Since we had limited time and manpower, almost all the practitioners participated directly in this effort. The practitioners clarified the truth to government officials on various levels, although very few of them were very experienced in working with government officials. However, we passed the test and handled the obstacles well. It's impossible to explain the amazing things that happen in the course of Dafa work using ordinary people's principles.
Many practitioners did a lot of work. One practitioner had difficulty moving around, but used half a day to clarify the truth and deliver truth clarification materials to many important officials' offices everyday, laying important groundwork. There are many such examples. They are all using different methods, using their wisdom and hearts to do what needs to be done for Dafa.
November 7, 2002
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