On Monday, April 17, Atlanta City Councilwoman Felicia A. Moore drafted a resolution "Urging the Congress of the United States to investigate atrocities of the harvesting of human organs… to urge the Congress not to accept denials at face value; to request that President Bush question Hu Jintao, the President of China...
The document referred to the recent witness allegations of large scale organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners, and the Communist Party's denial.
"Whereas, independent investigations show that the number of organ transplants in China has increased sharply recently…
Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Atlanta, Georgia that it urges the United States Congress to investigate the issue of the harvesting of human organs in China…
Be it further resolved that such crimes against humanity deserve immediate global attention and investigation and that such continued persecutions should be stopped."
One council member objected to voting on the resolution, saying that it was outside their purview and not appropriate for them to discuss, adding that the matter was not time sensitive. She proposed to table the resolution.
Councilmember Moore responded that it was very time sensitive because of Hu's imminent visit to the United States, and that the Council had in the past issued resolutions on other international issues. Other members recalled that in 2003 they had resolved to condemn the persecution of Falun Gong in China. They remembered the Atlanta Falun Gong practitioners thanking them with handmade paper lotus flowers. The resolution is to be conveyed to Congress and to President Bush right away.
They passed the resolution ten to one with two abstentions. A Chinese gentleman in the audience burst out "Thank You!" and made the gesture of bowing with two hands clasped at the chest.
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