A messenger making a delivery to the home of detained human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng was shocked to see the police had constructed small building directly across the street. It is obvious that it is an observation point for police to monitor visitors and the Gao family.
The neighborhood, in Yayun Village in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, is closely monitored by the police. When the messenger approached Gao’s home, an elderly woman wearing a red armband stopped him, examined him, ands asked, “Who are you looking for?”
The messenger responded, “You even monitoring who I am looking for?”
The messenger ignored the woman and proceeded towards Gao’s building. As he walked past the building, he was shocked to see that the bicycle parking lot had been replaced by a white-painted, ten-square-meter shack. Looking inside, he saw he found two men and a woman, dressed in civilian clothes, talking and laughing.
A black Santana (an SUV commonly used by Chinese police departments) was parked beside Gao’s apartment building. It turns out the public security department built a monitoring station from which to observe Gao’s family. He found that the street was blocked further up so he had to retrace his steps.
As the messenger walked back past Gao’s unit, the elderly woman with the red armband continued to follow behind asking continuously, “I said, who are you looking for? Which family are you looking for? Who are you looking for?” The messenger got irritated and answered impatiently, “I am walking the dog!”
