At the Lincoln Center press conference, dancer Lee Rubacek told the story of his professor at Fei Tian College being beaten unconscious and his house being ransacked by CCP-hired thugs on American soil.
He also shared the story of fellow dancer Steven Wang, whose parents were detained in China for years. After his father was finally released, Steven never had the chance to see him, as he passed away from the severe injuries inflicted during a decade of maltreatment and torture by CCP authorities.
Read more about the petition signed by Lee and over 1,550 current and former performers, staff, and family members, calling on the Department of Justice to investigate foreign intimidation against Shen Yun: shenyuncommunity.org/our-petition
This is an excerpt from one of the comments written by a person who signed the petition.
The revival of my heritage, the stability of my livelihood, and the freedom to believe in
my spiritual faith in America, these are the things that I've always counted on the United
States Constitution to protect. And yet, today, these are precisely the things that are at stake.
Beginning with the CCP's attempts to sabotage the company that I am with,
it is terrible to think that something like this could even take place on American soil. However,
this all changed when I met a professor from Feitian College who was beaten unconscious
and had his house ransacked by CCP hired thugs. This is Dr. Peter Lee after being brutally beaten
by three thugs in his own home in Atlanta, Georgia. This showed me that even in the U.S.,
wherever you may be, even in the privacy and comfort of your own home, the CCP can attack you.
This is another quote from a person that signed the petition. I was lucky to have escaped communist
China, but now the same government is trying to exert control into America. Growing up in the
West, I've been fortunate to be raised by two loving parents, something that I would have taken
for granted. But after joining Feitian College and joining the practicum program, I've come to
know many fellow dancers and artists who have not been half as fortunate as me. One of my fellow
dancers, Stephen Wong, was just a young boy when both of his parents were arrested and detained
for practicing the Falun Dafa meditation in China. For years, Stephen and his sisters could never see
both their parents together because as soon as one of them was released, the other would be detained
again. Later, Stephen finally got the opportunity to flee China and join Shen Yun, where he could
use his talent in dance to tell his story and show the world the atrocities of the CCP, all in
hope that one day his family would be freed. Soon after arriving in America, Stephen's dad did get
fully released, but before Stephen could find out, his father passed away from the damage done to his
body from a decade of maltreatment and torture by the authorities. Stephen never got the chance to
see his dad before he died, and his mom is still suffering persecution there today. If Stephen tried
to visit her in China, he would no doubt be immediately arrested, just like any of us would be.
How crazy is it that we still can't perform classical Chinese dance and tell these true
stories in China today? Stephen Wong is only one of many Shen Yun artists and staff members who
have personally experienced the brutality of the CCP. Every day, I'm honored to be surrounded by
fellow artists who are using their artistic excellence to stand up to the CCP's malicious acts
to save their friends and family. This is the Shen Yun I have come to know and am proud to be a part of. Thank you.
