Persecution of Dragon Springs Discussed Amid Troublesome History at Mount Hope Event
Falun Gong philosophy of “truthfulness, compassion and tolerance” was presented despite conflicting evidence.
By David Ofshinsky
A crowd of about 75 people gathered at the Mount Hope Youth Center on the mild fall evening of October 24. They came for an event titled “Why Does the CCP Persecute Dragon Springs & Falun Gong?” The topic was persecution of Dragon Springs and the Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) .
Introducing the panel of four speakers was Mela Wu, president of the Mount Hope Chinese Association, which sponsored the event. Presentations lasted 45 minutes and were followed by refreshments.
Speakers were Liam O’Neill, president of the Orange County Falun Gong Association, Levi Browde, executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center, Allen Zeng, CEO of Sound of Hope Radio, and David Zhang, a producer of Falun Gong related You Tube content.
David Zhang opened the talk by asserting that the Chinese government is the world’s “largest exporter of transnational oppression.”
They have operatives all over the world, he said, in a global effort to eradicate any opposition to the CCP. They have established “police stations” in New York and other major cities to track and harass dissidents. They are active locally and have targeted Dragon Springs, which is the Falun Gong world headquarters and home of the Shen Yun dance troupe, both of which they view as a threat, Zhang said.
The existence of these illegal Chinese police stations has been reported elsewhere, for instance in The Hill News: “Since 2014, Chinese police reportedly made some 10,000 Chinese fugitives abroad return to China. This shows that the CCP doesn’t recognize international borders and brazenly violates the sovereignty of the U.S. and other countries by sending police officers far outside their jurisdiction.”
Zhang did not specify evidence of CCP “targeting” Dragon Springs, but Dragon Springs officials have cited this threat as reason to resist inspections by Deerpark building inspectors. The interference has generated conflicts with Dragon Springs neighbors, as they complain that zoning and building code violations on the property are not addressed.
Allen Zeng spoke about the practice of Falun Gong, explaining that “truthfulness, compassion and tolerance” are tenets, and gentle exercises are used to improve life and health. Zeng briefly demonstrated some of the exercises and spoke about how practitioners living in the U.S. appreciate the freedom they have here and are grateful and patriotic.
Next Levi Browde spoke about Dragon Springs. The compound houses a religious temple, a middle and high school—the Fei Tian Academy of Arts, a private arts college—Fei Tian College, and the Shen Yun dance troupe.
Shen Yun’s performances around the world bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars that fund Dragon Springs, according to a New York Times investigation, which revealed that Shen Yun dancers, who may begin with the troupe at the age of 12 and continue into their twenties, are meagerly paid, if at all. They work long hours and perform despite significant injuries and emotional abuse, as described by the Times article, which used interviews with 80 dancers and extensive documentation. They are discouraged from getting medical care, which is considered to be in conflict with Falun Gong philosophy, as professed by Falun Gong’s founder, Li Hongzhi, who presides over Dragon Springs.
Browde contended that the presence of Shen Yun, the schools and the temples present security issues from the CCP, so it can’t be open to the public. Even Falun Gong practitioners are not allowed there unless pre-approved. Without the CCP threat, he said, the site would be open for public visits.
Browde continued with some examples of CCP harassment against Dragon Springs and local residents associated with it. Some said their families in China were menaced by the CCP. He noted an instance in February 2020 where a fake Facebook posting, purporting to be from a major news source, stated that Covid-19 deaths were occurring at Dragon Springs. The Deerpark Police Department responded with a statement that not only were there no Covid-19 deaths at Dragon Springs, none had occurred in the entire State of New York at that time. He also said that the U.S. Department of Justice provides weekly updates on potential threats from the CCP.
Liam O’Neill then spoke about Dragon Springs and the Falun Gong. He described Dragon Springs as a place of “faith.” Many connected with it are refugees and grateful to be in the US, he said. He noted that while a number of entities associated with Falun Gong are run by its practitioners, they are individual, separate corporations, not run by Falun Gong officials.
The meeting was then opened to the public. Mount Hope resident Jerri Dodd spoke about the past and conflicts between the community and Dragon Springs. She termed this the 20-year war and said the presentation could be the start of a new beginning. She added that if everyone works together to understand each other and contributes to the effort, it can make the area a better place for everyone.
Mela Wu then invited everyone to stay, mingle and enjoy refreshments. Those in attendance expressed enthusiasm about building better relationships and desire for similar events in the future.
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