(Clearwisdom.net) On October 9, 2007, the Garden Grove City Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 8795-07, declaring opposition to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The resolution stated: "the City Council of the City of Garden Grove believes that the Government of the People's Republic of China should stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners." "The United States should use every appropriate public and private forum to urge the Government of the People's Republic of China to release from detention all Falun Gong practitioners, including Dongwei Bu, the family member of a California resident, and put an end to the practices of torture and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment against them and other prisoners of conscience." "The United States Government should investigate allegations of illegal activities in the United States of the Government of the People's Republic of China and its representatives and agents, including allegations of unlawful harassment of United States citizens and residents who practice Falun Gong and of officials of state and local governments in the United States who support Falun Gong, and should take appropriate action, including but not limited to enforcement of the immigration laws, against any such representative or agents who engage in such illegal activities."
Below is the text of the Resolution.
City of Garden Grove Resolution No. 8795-07
A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Garden Grove
Declaring Opposition to the Persecution of Falun Gong
Practitioners in the People's Republic of China
Whereas, Falun Gong is a peaceful and nonviolent form of personal belief and practice with tens of millions of adherents in China, the United States and over 80 countries around the world; and
Whereas, the Government of the People's Republic of China has forbidden Falun Gong practitioners from practicing their beliefs and cruelly persecuting them; and
Whereas, this prohibition and persecution violates China's own constitution as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and
Whereas, hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens from all over China have been jailed for refusing to give up their practice of Falun Gong and for appealing to the government for protection of their constitutional rights; and
Whereas, there are many credible reports of torture and other types of cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment of detained Falun Gong practitioners; and
Whereas, other Falun Gong members have been sentenced to labor camps, apparently under administrative procedures allowing such sentences without trial; and
Whereas, large numbers of female Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to systematic sexual humiliation and abuse, including rape and gang rape; and
Whereas, large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners in China have lost their jobs, and students have been expelled from schools for refusing to give up their beliefs; and
Whereas, a Falun Gong practitioner Dongwei Bu, who is an employee of an American aid organization, and the husband of California resident Hongwei Lou, was sentenced to two and one-half years forced labor and is still in a labor camp because of his belief in Falun Gong; and
Whereas, the brutal crackdown by the Chinese Government on Falun Gong is in direct violation of the fundamental human rights to freedom of personal belief and practice, expression and assembly;
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the City Council of the City of Garden Grove as follows:
Section 1. That the City Council of the City of Garden Grove believes that the Government of the People's Republic of China should stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners; and
Section 2. That the United States should use every appropriate public and private forum to urge the Government of the People's Republic of China to release from detention all Falun Gong practitioners, including Dongwei Bu, the family member of a California resident, and put an end to the practices of torture and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment against them and other prisoners of conscience; and
Section 3. That the United States Government should investigate allegations of illegal activities in the United States of the Government of the People's Republic of China and its representatives and agents, including allegations of unlawful harassment of United States citizens and residents who practice Falun Gong and of officials of state and local governments in the United States who support Falun Gong, and should take appropriate action, including but not limited to enforcement of the immigration laws, against any such representative or agents who engage in such illegal activities; and
Section 4. That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Falun Gong practitioners in the City of Garden Grove.
Section 5. The City Clerk shall attest and certify to the approval and adoption of this resolution and it shall become effective immediately upon its approval.
Adopted this 9th day of October 2007.
Attest:
William J. Dalton
Mayor
Ruth E. Smith
City Clerk
State of California
County of Orange
City of Garden Grove
I, Ruth E. Smith, City Clerk of the City of Garden Grove, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Garden Grove, California, at a meeting held on October 9, 2007, by the following vote:
AYES: Council Members: (5) Broadwater, Jones, Nguyen, Rosen, Dalton
NOES: Council Members: (0) None
Absent: Council Members: (0) None
Ruth E. Smith
City Clerk