Proclamation of Ride To Freedom Day by Mayor Darlene J. Conti of Little Falls, New Jersey

• Matt Shields


• 15 Jul 2015

WHEREAS, Ride To Freedom, Kristine Feng from Little Falls, New Jersey, with 30 young cyclists from around the world, embarked on a 3,000 mile journey from Los Angeles, California to Washington, D.C. to call attention to the plight of orphaned children of Falun Dafa practitioners who were persecuted and killed by the Chinese Communist Party for their spiritual beliefs; and

WHEREAS, Falun Dafa (www.falundafa.org) is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline found by Li Hongzhi in 1992 that consists of spirtiual and moral teachings, meditation and exercises based upon the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance; and

WHEREAS, Falun Dafa has been persecuted in its country of origin since July 20, 1999, when the then president of the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Zemin, ordered the creation of the 6-10 office, an extra judicial security apparatus designated to “eradicate” Falun Gong; and

WHEREAS, Falun Dafa practitioners have been arrested and tortured to death, their children left without families or homes, often pursued by the state, and abused for their parents’ beliefs; and

WHEREAS, the young cyclists are rallying their way across the United States, meeting with supporters at every stop before reaching Washington, D.C. to meet with national leaders to expose the persecution and asking for help; and

WHEREAS, the cycling team will travel to New York City to address the United Nations General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, some riders will then attempt to travel China to rescue specific orphans;

NOW, THEREFORE, I DARLENE J. CONTI, MAYOR OF LITTLE FALLS, in recognition of the noble actions of Ride to Freedom in bringing awareness to the persecution of Falun Dafa and the impact it is having on millions of children and families throughout China and the bravery of the riders who plan to travel to China to rescue children orphaned from the persecution, do hereby proclaim July 15, 2015 to be Ride to Freedom Day.

Mayor Darlene J. Conti