Salt Lake City, Sunday, July 8
Our van arrived in front of Salt Lake City Hall, which is across the street from the County Courthouse, both impressive buildings, at about 9:15 a.m. A group of practitioners was already there, intently setting up. The weather was quite warm and sunny for early morning, but we were blessed with periodical cool breezes. We stationed ourselves at the far end of the expanse of cement walkway, very close to the street. The grounds are spacious with lovely, mature trees and benches everywhere, creating a park-like effect. Our local Salt Lake City practitioner, Bev, who is joining us on the trip, tells me that this is the same spot they had announced the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Salt Lake City is a great place to clarify the truth.
We got set up in good time, with the photo gallery in place, and about 15 practitioners in position to demonstrate the exercises. The press didn't arrive until close to 10:30; Channel 4 (an ABC affiliate), and Channel 5 (an NBC affiliate), The Salt Lake City Tribune and Deseret News teams. We had the occasion to greet each team individually, as they did not all arrive at once. Most camera people took numerous shots of the practitioners doing the exercises, as well as of the photo gallery. The press statement was read, and we followed with Yang Li's account of one month's maltreatment in a Chinese prison.
We were impressed with how sympathetic the Press seemed to be. They were not feeling rushed, and seemed very attentive and intent upon doing a thorough job. We made a point of clarifying the 15 deaths at Wanjia Labor Camp. There were about 7 additional spectators, including two who were involved in the recent day the UN declared was against torture. The group they represented, the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, had cooperated well with our Salt Lake City Dafa practitioners for that event. They expressed admiration for our commitment, as well as a desire to assist us in the future.
After purchasing notebooks for practitioners to record daily experiences in, we grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed for Cheyenne, at about 2:30. Cheyenne is about 430 miles away, so we had to maximize our time. We made a concerted effort to do things in a timely fashion, and we surprised ourselves by arriving in Cheyenne at about 9:30 p.m., about an hour and a half earlier than we had expected to. There was also quite dramatic weather: moderate rain, but an intense electrical storm directly ahead of us. This, along with a blazing pink sunset with billowy cloud formations, made us feel as though there was a stage ahead, and our Teacher was clearing the way for us. The Wyoming big sky has always moved me, but now it makes me think of Teacher's poem expressing the vaunted ceiling of heaven. Traveling across this great country fills us with a deep sense of gratitude. Let us help our dear Teacher make this earth fresh again. There are too many good things about it that makes it worth saving, as well as the kindhearted people who can be receptive to the great Fa.
Category: Rallies & Protests
