Last Saturday, on May 4th, in the vicinity of Los Angeles’ Ding Pantzi Democratic Square, known as the “first stop for Chinese immigrants in America,” a procession of dozens of Chinese people formed the “Pillar of National Mourning,” a giant banner, becoming a sightline in the Chinese community.
This was the first gathering this year to commemorate the events of June 4th, and over a hundred Chinese people gathered on the scene. Participants displayed photos from the night of the massacre, as well as banners saying “Never Forget, Never Give Up,” “Release Joe Xinxin,” among others. Throughout the event, the host led chants such as “Speak the truth, refuse to forget, seek justice, call for conscience” and more.
Following the speeches, Vice Chairman Jielijian of the Chinese Democratic Party Headquarters and founder of the Liberty Sculpture Park, Chen Weiming, held one corner of the giant banner of the “Pillar of National Mourning” and announced the beginning of the procession. The procession circled around the bustling streets of Garvey Ave and Garfield Ave.
Garfield Avenue is lined with Chinese businesses, with vehicles coming and going constantly. Along the procession route, some bystanders joined in chanting “Free China,” others said “Thank you,” some honked in support, but there were isolated incidents of Chinese individuals who did not understand.
Jielijian described an incident where someone threatened them, saying, “You guys, you deserve to be dealt with, you deserve to be beaten.” They responded, stating that under the Communist Party’s rule, they could act recklessly and attack them at will; however, in America, such words could be considered criminal. The other party was intimidated and did not dare to reply.
Through interactions with Chinese immigrants in America, Jielijian found that despite being in the U.S., most Chinese people still frequently use mainland Chinese social media platforms like WeChat, Weibo, TikTok, Baidu, etc., which results in their understanding of Communist China remaining influenced by the regime’s brainwashing. Some Chinese individuals have limited knowledge about the events of June 4th or the persecution of religious believers by the Communist Party, showing that while their physical bodies have crossed the Great Firewall to America, their minds and souls remain under Communist control.
Jielijian also hopes to dispel certain misconceptions held by overseas Chinese, such as “The CCP is indeed dictatorial, but after the CCP collapses, no one will govern the country” and “China cannot afford chaos.” He mentioned that these ideas are intentionally implanted by the Chinese Communist Party. Particularly in areas like Ding Pantzi Square where many Chinese people are still brainwashed by the CCP, Jielijian stated that this is why the Chinese Democratic Party frequently holds gatherings and processions there.
Following the pandemic, as more Chinese people participate in activities organized by the Chinese Democratic Party, a significant number of onlookers have progressed from avoiding, observing, and being reluctant to speak to ultimately bravely stepping forward to speak out about the spiritual and economic persecution they have faced under the CCP.
“Many people have undergone a gradual change in their thinking step by step, and we want to give them the opportunity,” Jielijian said. People need to reflect on their views of the CCP, and “we hope that more pro-CCP individuals awaken.”
On that day, three members of the Chinese Democratic Party branch in Louisiana, Lu Qiankun, Sun Jie, and Wang Li, also gathered in front of the state capitol building in Louisiana with banners reading “June 4th Spirit, Democracy, Freedom” and the party flag of the Chinese Democratic Party Headquarters, showing solidarity with the Los Angeles gathering. Lu Qiankun stated that in China, there is no freedom of speech, no freedom of the press, and that to awaken the people and prevent further deception by the CCP, they need to take to the streets to rally more awakeners.
The gatherings also saw the presence of young people. Cheng Kang, a student from Henan, mentioned in an interview that she used to be a “little pink” (a term referring to fervent nationalist young people in China) who followed the internet army in cursing Hong Kong independence and Taiwan independence movements. After coming to the U.S., she realized a stark contrast between the truth and her previous perceptions, describing it as “subverting her worldview.” She noted that the CCP erects a firewall, preventing Chinese people from understanding the outside world, with the vast majority of Chinese people remaining ignorant of the truth.
Cheng Kang was not born when the June 4th massacre occurred. She cannot comprehend why the CCP violently suppressed young students who were advocating against authoritarianism and corruption. “This reflects the suppression of dissent by the Communist Party, exposing their fear of public opinion and true democracy,” she said, emphasizing that a good governing party must listen to its people, respect human rights, and fundamental freedoms to achieve social stability and prosperity.
The event’s host, Dr. Liu Anqi, a former university professor now residing abroad, was relatively young during the events of June 4th. She mentioned that the CCP’s news censorship prevents Chinese people from understanding what happened in the past. After moving to the U.S., she came into contact with former student movement leaders such as Wang Dan, allowing her to hear firsthand accounts of that period of history.
“We want more people to understand what really happened at that time,” Liu Anqi led the crowd in a moment of silence to remember the students and citizens killed by the CCP.
Experiencing the taste of freedom on American soil, Liu Anqi expressed her hopes for unity in helping Chinese people achieve democracy and freedom. She said, “We hope to become a big family, united together to assist the Chinese people in achieving democracy and freedom.”
Following an event in downtown Los Angeles attending the screening and gathering for “The Dissident,” Chen Weiming rushed to Ding Pantzi Square to join the gathering. During his speech, he expressed that seeing more and more people gathering demonstrated the Chinese people’s desire for freedom.
Chen Weiming pointed out that even when overseas, Chinese people still face infiltration and harassment from the CCP’s authoritarian rule. Thus, “our suffering is not over.” He stated that overseas democracy activists must work together to bury the CCP, saying, “Only then will we have the sky of freedom.”