NEW YORK—A group of concerned Flushing residents announced on Friday the formation of a committee to recall Council Member John Liu and Assembly Woman Ellen Young for refusing to meet with the victims of violence that took place in Flushing.
Formed by various organizations and residents, the committee held a meeting in which over 50 local residents signed their names to support the recall. Later actions will include petitions and investigations into the politicians’ relationship with the Chinese government.
Several days ago a Chinese media published a news story about a meeting between councilmember John Liu and assemblywoman Ellen Young and the charged assailants in the Flushing attacks. The meeting was intended for the attackers who had their images published in The Epoch Times to complain about the publication.
Pro-communist Chinese media reported their meeting as their main story, saying those mobs are “victims” and their rights has been “violated.” In contrast, Falun Gong practitioners received cold reception from the two politicians.
Both Liu and Young had left the local community with no alternative but recall, said Jun Wang, chairman of China Democratic Party World Union and a local Flushing resident.
Since June 2, Falun Gong practitioners had formally requested to meet with Liu no less than eight times.
However, each request went ignored until under public pressure, both Council Member Liu and Assemblywoman Young finally decided to meet with Falun Gong practitioners and members of other community organizations.
Judy Chen a local Falun Gong practitioner was one of the Falun Gong practitioners who had approached Liu and Young for a conference but was denied.
“Of the two politicians, one of them drove me away and the other one said she knew nothing about the violence,” said Chen. She had received death threats multiple times from the mobs.
“The [politicians] are both from Taiwan but I felt that they don’t act like an American or Taiwanese, but rather like communist officials,” said Chen. “I saw them receive two people who had threatened me with death. One of them had told me ‘I know your face. I’m definitely going to kill you.’”
According to Kim Sung Gyong, a local Flushing resident, the Korean community is also eager to recall both Liu and Young. “We have lived in Flushing for seven years and those mobs are beating and insulting people, especially the women but [Liu and Young] have been siding with them,” said Gyong. “The Korean community also wants to recall them.”
Other supporters of the recall include Guowei Zhang, chairman of the Republic of China Central Military School US Alumni Association and Nan Zheng of the Chinese Liberal Democratic Party.
“I cannot understand why the councilman drove away the people who have been beaten,” said Zheng. “We cannot let a councilman like that represent the public. We have to recall him.”
Friends Read Free