(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioners in the greater Philadelphia area held a rally in Chinatown at 1:30 p.m. on July 17, 2010 to mark their eleven-year effort to end the persecution. The theme of the rally was "Only when the CCP is gone will the persecution end."

During the rally, several practitioners talked about their experiences of having suffered abuse at forced labor camps and prisons in China. Some practitioners shared how they began their Falun Dafa practice after 1999. A representative of the Philadelphia Falun Dafa Association exposed the Chinese Communist regime's atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.

Many passersby stopped to listen to the speeches at the rally, and read carefully the messages conveyed by the large banners. They expressed their sympathy and support for the practitioners.

A police officer who has been on duty in Chinatown for six years said, "Why is it considered wrong in China for people to have faith? My whole family has faith. I often see them (Falun Gong practitioners) here. I feel sorry for them. The persecution should be stopped."

An overseas student from Nigeria attentively listened to the practitioners recount their persecution experience and said, "My father is a surgeon, and I came to the U.S. to learn to be a physical therapist. We hope to help people, and save people, not to kill people with operating scalpels. It's so sad, so bad." (A reference to removing practitioners' organs when they are still alive)

A student from the University of North Carolina passed by Chinatown, and saw the rally. She stopped and read the informational materials carefully. She told the reporter that her research paper for this semester is on how the Chinese Communist regime oppresses religious groups and freedom of expression. She said there are no human rights in China. The persecution of Falun Gong is the best testimony on whether or not the Chinese government respects human rights." She said, "I support Falun Gong, and the Chinese people's freedom and human rights."