Dec 15, 2005

Frank Eaves (left) and Councilmember Donna Frye (right). "Falun Dafa is a peaceful practice of mind and body improvement that has benefited tens of millions of people in China, the U.S. and over sixty countries. The inhuman persecution by the Chinese government is in direct violation of the fundamental human rights to freedom of personal belief and practice, expression and assembly," states the resolution. (The Epoch Times)

SAN DIEGO-after a tumultuous year of federal investigations, felony convictions, and resignations in the wake of a $1.7 billion pension deficit, a light of conscience shined last week at San Diego City Hall, bringing new hope for the resurrection of America's Finest City.

On Jerry Sanders first day as mayor, the San Diego City Council passed the Yantai Resolution, an act of conscience condemning more than six years of torture and murder of practitioners of Falun Dafa in San Diego's sister city in China, Yantai. Jurisdictional authorities responsible for complying with the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) mandate of persecution are none other than San Diego officials' counterparts in Yantai.

"Yantai is our sister city. Persecuting people for their beliefs is wrong," said Councilmember Donna Frye, who first sponsored the resolution in January of 2003. "I am pleased that this proclamation was finally docketed, and I appreciate the patience and perseverance of the Falun Dafa practitioners."

Patience and perseverance, indeed. Local Falun Dafa practitioners first approached San Diego officials in 2002 with a 29-page report documenting 11 death cases at the hands of Yantai authorities. The report revealed that practitioners who would not renounce their belief in Falun Dafa were beaten, deprived of food, injected with nerve damaging drugs, fined exorbitant amounts of money, shocked with electric batons, and otherwise abused until they died.

"Forcing people to act against their conscience is the trademark of communist rule," said Shizhong Chen, founder of the Falun Gong Human Rights Working Group, in a 2004 speech before the mayor and city council. "Falun Gong practitioners only aspire to become the best people they can be. Using torture and killing, Yantai authorities try to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their own conscience."

San Diego practitioners wanted to send a message to Yantai authorities that the people of San Diego are watching, condemn the violence, and demand that it stop immediately.

What seemed like a slam-dunk resolution took three long years to pass. Although Frye sponsored the Yantai Resolution in January 2003, and the city council was prepared to unanimously pass it on January 28 of that year, they never got the chance. Mayor Dick Murphy refused to docket the resolution.

"Donna Frye put forth a resolution asking the Yantai authorities to stop the torture and abuse," said software engineer and Falun Gong practitioner, Frank Eaves. "Since then, we have come to the city council meetings, almost weekly, to speak to the mayor, to publicize the issue, and to appeal to people of conscience."

Week after week since January 2003, practitioners would articulate their concerns in 3-minute, non-agenda public comment speeches before the mayor and city council. The council was sympathetic, but couldn't pass the resolution if it wasn't on the docket. By 2005, the documented number of Falun Gong practitioners who had been persecuted to death in Yantai had risen to 45.

According to Eaves, the CCP's persecution is sustained by constant deception, including slandering Falun Gong to city officials inside China. Once Chinese officials and policemen discover they've been lied to and learn the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution, a number of them have chosen to defy CCP orders, cease their role in the persecution, and protect practitioners from further harm.

"A resolution sent to our sister city's officials can let them know that they've been lied to, and may cause them to stop the torture and killing," said Eaves. "This will not only help the Falun Gong practitioners, but also those officials from committing more crimes."

While the resolution cites benefits that Falun Dafa provides to individuals and the community, and condemns the persecution in China, one key item was removed from the resolution at the last minute-the part where San Diego asks Yantai officials, including the mayor and the chief of police of Yantai, as well as the President and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, to stop persecuting their own citizens.

"We came to city council meetings almost every week because we care about the precious lives in Yantai," said Arleen Freeman, local business owner and practitioner of Falun Gong. "How will the lives of those being tortured in our sister city be affected by a resolution if San Diego doesn't tell them about it?"

According to Frye, action items are typically not included in a resolution that declares a special day or event. In a formal twist of protocol in passing the resolution, the city council declared Dec. 5 Falun Dafa Day.

After taking the oath of office at the City Council meeting, Sanders stated that he would immediately direct his staff to restore the motto "America's Finest City" to the city's web site, a title that was quietly dropped in August after Mayor Dick Murphy suddenly resigned and felony convictions of City Councilmen Michael Zucchet and Ralph Inzunza were announced.

Once the new strong mayor government takes effect in January, Sanders will have the authority himself to issue a letter to Yantai officials on behalf of the City of San Diego, a unique opportunity for Sanders as well as the city to demonstrate that human rights are more important than trade relations, and that San Diego is on track towards redeeming its reputation as America's Finest City.

Source http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-12-15/35834.html