On August 25, 2008, When Eddie Romero realized the Chinese authorities intended to deport him, he raised the subject of reimbursing the hotels for the clean up costs. (The fees for the room had already been paid.)

The authorities were quite specific that Eddie should forget about the costs. He was told that they would be taken care of and to dismiss the issue.

Nevertheless, in order to act rightly, Eddie has sent some money to both hotels to pay for the clean-up costs, and has asked the hotels to let him know if anything more is required. He is also going to pay above & beyond the required amount for the clean-up costs.

On Wednesday, August 27, 2008, James Mawdsley was interviewed by Bill Welsh of Calvary Chapel Huntington Beach. He shared about his experiences in Burma and how they compare to Eddie Romero’s experience in Beijing for The Gadfly Project. He also talked about how we can interceed on behalf of those who are suffering. This was perfectly illustrated when he said, “If you understand the suffering that those individuals are going through than suddenly it makes sense to want to express solidarity with them; to call for their release, to defend their dignity. And Frankly, it’s crazy not to. If you could live your life with no connection in your heart between you and others, than you’re not alive.”

Please continue to look within the hearts of those who are captive and the oppressed. Continue to search and find ways in which you can support them. Their are many organizations who are already doing this. You can team up with them or if you feel so lead, start something of your own that addresses their needs.

China’s prisoners of conscience:

For a newborn, out-of-sight means out-of-mind. Babies react to objects held in front of their face, but appear to forget about them once they are removed from their field of vision. Oftentimes society is the same way regarding prisoners: out-of-sight-out-of-mind. But now that the Olympic spotlight is off China, it is important that we let the Chinese government know our concern for prisoners of conscience has not diminished but burns on. Please pray for those named below, and consider writing in their support. To read about their stories, click here.

1) Zhang Rongliang, a Protestant pastor, was arrested in December 2004 and sentenced in July 2006 to seven and a half years imprisonment, supposedly for illegal travel abroad. Before all this Rongliang had already spent 12 years in prison during five separate detentions, which reportedly involved torture, including electric shocks.

2) Xu Na spent five years in prison for having lent her apartment to Falun Gong adherents traveling to Beijing to appeal to the authorities for an end to the persecution against them. Na was released in 2006, but while in detention, she was reportedly beaten, deprived of sleep, force-fed, and was tied into uncomfortable positions for hours. When Na was re-arrested at the beginning of this year (Jan 2008), her husband, Yu Zhou, was arrested too but has died in police custody following abuse. Na now faces up to 12 years in prison.

3) Hu Jia: Last Christmas (2007), Jia and his wife, Zeng Jinyan, and their six-week-old daughter (Hu Qianci) were at home with Ms Zeng’s grandmother when 20 policemen burst in, cut their telephone lines and internet connection and arrested Jia. Jia was jailed in April for his blogging, and since then his wife Jinyan and their baby remain under house arrest.

4) Shi Tao is a journalist, arrested November 2004 for using his Yahoo account to send an e-mail to a U.S.-based pro-democracy website. In his email, he summarized a government order directing media organizations in China to downplay the coming anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown 15 years before. In April 2005 Tao was sentenced to a 10-year prison term. His family has been harassed by the authorities. His wife underwent daily questioning by security officials and was persistently pressured to divorce Tao, which she eventually did. Tao’s uncle and brother have been under surveillance and harassed both at work and at home, and his mother is reportedly monitored and harassed as she petitions for her son’s release.

5) Guo Feixiong was arrested September 2006 and sentenced to five years imprisonment on bogus charges of “illegal business activity”. He was also fined 40,000 yuan (over $5,000). Feixiong had provided legal advice in a number of controversial rights defense cases. According to his wife, Zhang Qing, Feixiong has been repeatedly tortured simply because he will not admit to having committed any crime and because he refuses cooperate with the authorities’ interrogations. Methods used by police to extract a confession from Feixiong have included shackling Feixiong’s arms and legs to a bed for weeks at a time, and extended periods of sleep deprivation and worse.

Fun In The Sun Festival
Saturday, August 30, 2008
From 10am-9pm

If you live in the Los Angeles area, join us for a day of fun as we raise money for humanitarian relief in China. All proceeds will be donated to China Aid Association. Their will be a walk-a-thon, food, games booths, vendor booths, raffles for prizes, and all day entertainment. The suggested donation for entrance is: $1.

Where: Los Altos High School (Field)
15325 Los Robles, Hacienda Heights, Ca 91744
Click here for Map

Soon, for the time being, the Gadfly Project will be closed. Join us in several months time as we take a deeper look into matters of human rights and revisit the Gadfly Project.

On Tuesday August 26, 2008 at 7:00PM PDT, Pastor Eddie “Gadfly” Romero returned home from Beijing, China. His homecoming at LAX in Los Angeles was met with over 80 supporters & 5 LA news stations. As he came down from the escalator into the terminal, people were heard shouting “Ratify & Release,” the 2 messages that his protest highlighted on Tuesday, August 5th. With much applaud, he was warmly received back home. When he arrived back at his church, he was greeted by many more people from his church & the Chinese community along with more TV news reporters. It was a sight to behold!

As soon as he is rested, he has a lot to go over. Soon, he will address the many questions & concerns people have had while he was away. How will he account for the controversial methods of his protest? Was his protest a success? Failure? What role do Christians or Non Christians play in the matters of human rights? With so many questions raised and people on both sides of the fence over this “Gadfly Project,” he will have a lot to process. He has also stated that both him and his church will consider new ways to continue to support the Chinese people & find different ways to meet them in their plight. Stay posted for more updates, messages and answers from Pastor Eddie & Exodus8one.org in the days to come.

(Photos appear courtesy of Israel Morales. © 2008. View
more photos of the event on the Gadfly Project Flickr page.)

On Tuesday August 26, 2008 at 7:00PM PDT, Pastor Eddie “Gadfly” Romero returned home from Beijing, China. His homecoming at LAX in Los Angeles was met with over 80 supporters & 5 LA news stations. As he came down from the escalator into the terminal, people were heard shouting “Ratify & Release,” the 2 messages that his protest highlighted on Tuesday, August 5th. With much applaud, he was warmly received back home. When he arrived back at his church, he was greeted by many more people from his church & the Chinese community along with more TV news reporters. It was a sight to behold!

As soon as he is rested, he has a lot to go over. Soon, he will address the many questions & concerns people have had while he was away. How will he account for the controversial methods of his protest? Was his protest a success? Failure? What role do Christians or Non Christians play in the matters of human rights? With so many questions raised and people on both sides of the fence over this “Gadfly Project,” he will have a lot to process. He has also stated that both him and his church will consider new ways to continue to support the Chinese people & find different ways to meet them in their plight. Stay posted for more updates, messages and answers from Pastor Eddie & Exodus8one.org in the days to come.

(Photos appear courtesy of Israel Morales. © 2008. View
more photos of the event on the Gadfly Project Flickr page.)

Fox News Clip:

We’d like to thank all of you who have made this project a success and for those who have raised their voices for the plight of persecuted Chinese people in China. We realize that even in the face of criticism & controversy, it was at times hard to take a stand. Even still, thousands of people from around the world still raised their voices along with Eddie in hopes of making a change in China. Thank you for coming along with us on this amazing journey. Stay posted!

After pastor Eddie arrived at the airport

Arrival at HCF - Interview with 2 local news stations

More interviews & greeting with friends and church goers.

Ed Romero - Pastor in Hiding:

“What could force an American pastor to go on the run and live in hiding? As the world’s top athletes go for gold in this years 2008 Beijing Olympics, Pastor Ed Romero from Hacienda Christian Fellowship is on the run from the Chinese authorities. Listen as Premier’s Bridgitte Tetteh goes on a journey to find out more.”

Taken from: http://www.premier.org.uk/

This aired on Sunday August 24th in Los Angeles, Ca. Following Eddie Romero’s surrender/protest in Tienanmen Square (Click here for the audio of the surrender which lasted an hour and a half in Tiananmen square yesterday), Sunday August 24th, a press conference was held at Hacienda Christian Fellowship.

Taken from the AP this morning:
“While we do not condone Mr. Romero’s method, the U.S. government supports his underlying message that calls for greater freedoms in China,”

A U.S. preacher who had waged an unusual protest to demand the release of five Chinese activists turned himself in to Chinese authorities on Sunday, according to his Web site. Pastor Eddie Romero had been in hiding since early August after painting the walls of upscale hotels in Beijing with calls for the activists’ release.

It was not immediately possible Monday to confirm whether he was in custody. The U.S. Embassy released a statement saying it was aware of Romero’s purported surrender and that consular officers are working with Chinese authorities to confirm Romero’s status and welfare. “While we do not condone Mr. Romero’s method, the U.S. government supports his underlying message that calls for greater freedoms in China,” the statement said.

Read the full article here.

ADMIN (Update 08/24/08 02:43 PM PDT): The audio file of Pastor Eddie Romero’s surrender that took place in Tienanmen Square in Beijing, China is now uploaded and ready for your listening. It was orginally streamed live over the internet today at 7AM PDT, and his surrendered protest lasted an unparalleled hour and a half before the audio cut out.

Here are photos of Eddie that he’s sent of his time in hiding:

Click player below. The press conference video will be uploaded later. There was an online journalist at Hacienda Christian Fellowship who streamed it live onto the internet. You can view his vids by clicking here. Stay posted for a high quality video later. If you live in the Los Angeles area, parts of the broadcast should be aired tonight on Fox11, NBC 9 or 2, & KTLA5. It will also be in the LA Times, HOY, La Opinion, and a multitude of other news publications.

Download via itunes:

Download via RSS Feed/Podcast:

This was the last photo sent by Eddie right before his surrender:

Please stay posted as we prepare the audio file of Pastor Eddie Romero’s Surrender which streamed live on the internet at 7AM (PDT) today. Meanwhile, please start sending your letters.

-God is good!

Stay posted to this website early Sunday morning to hear the live audio of Pastor Eddie Romero as he surrenders himself to the authorities in Beijing. You will be able to hear the surrender live as it is happening. We are doing this for two reasons, one, so there can be a historical record of this event as proof that he did surrender of his own will, and two, to invite anyone who has been following the Gadfly Project to listen in on this event. In the likelihood that we aren’t able to stream it live, we will post an audio file link within a few minutes of the live event. Please use the player above which will stream the audio starting sometime around 7am on Sunday the 24th of August.

You can also listen to the events leading up to his arrest and the arrest itself by phone:
Dial Phone Number: (724) 444-7444
When asked use Call ID: 24342

Please also remember to raise your voices with us by sending the final wave of letters tomorrow! (Click here for intructions)

God is good!

Auf Deutsch

UPDATE - EINE STIMME FÜR DIE STIMMLOSEN
22. August 2008

Viele Grüße von Exodus8one! Viele von Ihnen haben mitbekommen, was
alles in den letzten zwei Wochen los war. Falls nicht, können wir
Ihnen mit großer Freude mitteilen, dass das Gadfly-Projekt vor zwei
Wochen erfolgreich gestartet wurde, als Pastor Eddie Romero zwei
Hotelzimmer im Rahmen einer friedlichen Demonstration gegen die
Verfolgung von Glaubensgefangenen “verwandelt” hat. Diese Verwandlung
beinhaltete u.a. an die Wand gemalte Sätze wie “unsere Welt, unser
Alptraum,” “RATIFIZIEREN Sie den ICCPR,” und eine Aufforderung an die
chinesische Regierung, fünf Gefangene FREIZULASSEN.

Jetzt ist unsere Zeit gekommen, um die Chance zu ergreifen, unsere Stimme für diese Menschen zu erheben. Bitte schreiben Sie Ihre Briefe/Faxe/Emails am letzten Tag der
Olympischen Spiele, dem 24. AUGUST. Wir bitten Sie nochmals zu
schreiben, selbst wenn Sie schon einmal Ihre Briefe am 6. August
verschickt haben. Schreiben Sie bitte an dieselben fünf Personen, die
in den “Critical Updates” auf der Website aufgeführt werden. Gemeinsam
können unsere Stimmen laut genug werden, um angehört und evtl. erhört
zu werden. Bitte versuchen Sie den Briefinhalt in Ihre eigenen Worte
zu fassen. Seien Sie respektvoll, direkt und schreiben Sie kurz und
präzise.

Besuchen Sie regelmäßig exodus8one.org für alle aktuellen
Informationen wenn Pastor Eddie sich den Behörden stellt. Gott ist
gut.

* * * * * * *

En Français

MISE À JOUR LA VOIX POUR LES PERSONNES SANS UNE VOIX
Le 22 août, 2008

Les salutations de Exodus8one.org! Beaucoup d’entre vous est conscient de ce
qu’est arrivé ces dure deux semaines. Si vous n’avez pas entendu, nous
sommes très heureux de partager que le Projet de « Gadfly » a été
lancé avec succès il y a deux semaines, quand le Pasteur Eddie Romero
a « transformé » deux pièces d’hôtel dans une démonstration contre la
persécution religieuse dans Chine. Cette transformation a inclus a
peint des phrases sur le mur comme « Notre monde, notre cauchemar »,
RATIFIER l’ICCPR, et a énuméré les noms des prisonniers nous demandons
au gouvernement chinois pour RELACHER.

Maintenant c’est notre virage pour élever notre voix. S’il vous plaît
écrire des lettres et des e-mails sur la date limite des jeux
olympiques, AOUT 24e. Nous vous encourageons à écrire encore même si
vous avez écrit déjà sur le sixième. Ecrire au même cinq gens énumérés
dans les mises à jour critiques. Ensemble, nous pouvons faire nos voix
assez être fort entendues. Rappeler s’essayer et utiliser vos propres
mots. Etre respectueux, diriger, et mettre au courant.

Le séjour a accordé à exodus8one.org pour les dernières nouvelles de
la reddition du Pasteur Eddie. Dieu est bon.

* * * * * * *

En Español

MENSAJE DE VOZ PARA LOS QUE NO TIENEN VOZ
Agosto 22, 2008

¡Saludos de Exodus8one.org! Muchos de ustedes estan enterados de lo que ha
estado sucediendo durante estas dos semanas. Si usted no ha oído,
estamos muy complacidos de compartir que el proyecto “Gadfly” fue
lanzado exitosamente hace dos semanas, cuándo Pastor Eddie Romero
“transformó” dos habitaciones de hoteles en una demostración contra la
persecución religiosa en China. Esta transformación incluyó frases
pintadas en la pared como “Nuestro mundo, nuestra pesadilla”, RATIFICA
el ICCPR, y listó los nombres de los presos que nosotros pedimos que
el gobierno chino SUELTE.

Ahora nos toca a nosotros levantar nuestra voz. Escriba por favor cartas y correos
electrónicos al serrar de las Olimpiadas, el 24 de agosto. Nosotros
los animamos a que escriban otra vez aun si usted ya escribio en el 6
de agosto. Escriba a las mismas cinco personas listadas en los
mensajes críticos. Juntos, podemos hacer nuestras voces
suficientemente fuertes para ser oídas. Recuerde de tratar de usar sus
propias palabras. Sea respetuoso, directo, y breve.

Permanezca atento al sitio web exodus8one.org para las últimas
noticias de la rendición de Pastor Eddie. Dios es bueno.

* * * * * * *

In English/American

VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS UPDATE
August 22, 2008

Greetings from Exodus8one.org! Many of you are aware of what has been
happening these last two weeks. If you haven’t heard, we are very
pleased to share that the Gadfly Project was successfully launched two
weeks ago, when Pastor Eddie Romero “transformed” two hotel rooms into
a demonstration against religious persecution in China. This
transformation included painted phrases on the wall such as “Our
world, our nightmare”, RATIFY the ICCPR, and listed the names of the
prisoners we are asking the Chinese government to RELEASE.

Now it’s our turn to raise our voice. Please write letters and emails on the closing date
of the Olympics, AUGUST 24th. You may also send them before the 24th and we encourage
you to write again even if you already wrote on the 6th. Write to the same five people listed
in the critical updates. Together, we can make our voices loud enough to
be heard. Remember to try and use your own words. Be respectful,
direct, and brief.

Stay tuned to exodus8one.org for the latest news about Pastor Eddie’s
surrender. God is good.

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For continued support of the religiously persecuted people of all faith communities, stand with us to make a statement that significant leaders will hear. With all of the freedom we have, let us move our intents of good will into action. Join us in sending letters to the International Olympic Comittee, The World Trade Organization, The United Nation’s High Commission on Human Rights, The Peoples Republic of China, and President George W. Bush. Click here to to act now and raise your voice!

Invitation to the Media :: Press Conference – Sunday 24th Aug. 11.00am

Location: Hacienda Christian Fellowship
1358 N. Hacienda Blvd.,
La Puente, Ca 91744

Details of Pastor Eddie Romero’s surrender and his last two weeks in isolation plus plans for the future. There will also be exclusive photos released of his time in isolation.

This is a support video from Chinese activist & author Kai Chen who played for China’s National basketball team in the 1970’s. He’s started his own protest movement called the Olympic Freedom T-Shirt Movement. His protests involve running in different cities all over the world to bring awareness to the human rights abuses in China. His supporters wear T-Shirts that bring up these issues. Kai is taking a strong stance of support for Eddie Romero and his Gadfly Project, which was a protest that took place in 2 Beijing hotels one week before the start of the Olympics. Those videos can be viewed here on youtube.

Kai Chen is also the Author of One In A Billion: Journey Toward Freedom, which tells his story of China’s corrupt government, and the sports apparatus that is part and parcel of it. To draw more public attention to his cause, Chen has started the Olympic Freedom T-shirt Movement. Here’s some text from his book, “A 12 year old Kai was sitting on the train waiting to leave Beijing for Manchuria. Young Kai was confused about why he was leaving, not knowing he and his brothers were being forced to join their exiled parents in the small city of Tonghua. He had spent the past five years with an abusive grandmother and Big Brother in Beijing. Life in Tonghua wasn’t any easier for Kai who grew into a teenager with a different accent and a unique physical appearance - 6′7″ by the age 15. But the most mind-boggling torment for Kai and his family was still to come. In 1966, the Cultural Revolution began. With half of his relatives in Taiwan, Kai and his family endured political persecution and discrimination. He and his brothers were again forced to leave the city to go to the countryside. “

Here’s a link to his Olympic Freedom movement: http://olympicsfreedomtshirt.blogspot.com/
You can purchase his book here:
http://www.authorhouse.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For continued support of the religiously persecuted people of all faith communities, stand with us to make a statement that significant leaders will hear. With all of the freedom we have, let us move our intents of good will into action. Join us in sending letters to the International Olympic Comittee, The World Trade Organization, The United Nation’s High Commission on Human Rights, The Peoples Republic of China, and President George W. Bush. Click here to to act now and raise your voice!

Human Rights Websites:
(Click here for a list of addtitional advocacy websites.)

• China Aid Association: http://Chinaaid.org (RSS News Feed)
• Human Rights in China: http://www.hrichina.org (RSS News Feed)
• Monitor China: http://MonitorChina.org (RSS News Feed)
• Amnesty International: http://www.amnesty.org (RSS News Feed)
• Human Rights Watch: http://hrw.org (RSS News Feed)
• Taiwan Association for Human Rights (Chinese Website): http://www.tahr.org.tw
• Voice of The Martyrs: http://www.persecution.com/

Resources:

For continued support of the religiously persecuted people of all faith communities, stand with us to make a statement that significant leaders will hear. With all of the freedom we have, let us move our intents of good will into action. Join us in sending letters to the International Olympic Comittee, The World Trade Organization, The United Nation’s High Commission on Human Rights, The Peoples Republic of China, and President George W. Bush. Click here to to act now and raise your voice!

“I WILL NOT BE SILENT” Concert:

We’re going to have a FREE concert this Friday night August 22nd at 7:00pm, at Hacienda Christian Fellowship with an awesome band called The HOUSE. Along with some great music, you will learn more about the Gadfly project and more important, what you can do to lift a voice for those who are oppressed in China. Come out and be a “voice for the voiceless” and fellowship with us as we continue this life changing project for people the people of China!

When: Friday, August 22nd
Time: 7:00-9:00 PM
Location: 1358 N. Hacienda Blvd. La Puente, Ca 91744
Phone: (626) 917-1108
Email: timandjess8902@yahoo.com

Raise your voices during this once in a lifetime opportunity!!

Ratify & Release,

-God is good!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For continued support of the religiously persecuted people of all faith communities, stand with us to make a statement that significant leaders will hear. With all of the freedom we have, let us move our intents of good will into action. Join us in sending letters to the International Olympic Comittee, The World Trade Organization, The United Nation’s High Commission on Human Rights, The Peoples Republic of China, and President George W. Bush. Click here to to act now and raise your voice!

(Photos appear courtesy of Israel Morales. © 2008. View
more photos of the event on the Gadfly Project Flickr page.)

On Sunday, August 17, 2008, at Hacienda Christian Fellowship (HCF) in La Puente, Ca, 200+ people turned up at our own “attention-getting” event. Members of HCF, other churches, and people from the Chinese community showed up in support of pastor Eddie and The Gadfly Project. In a bold statement, their event mirrored Gadfly’s controversial protest in which he painted 2 hotel rooms in Bejing one week before the start of Olympics. After asked why they were there, many people wanted to amplify and echo the message that was painted on the walls in Gadfly’s protest. They were standing with the message of Ratify & Release, The Gadfly Project’s goal which is for China to Ratify the ICCPR, and as a token of good faith, to release 5 prisoners who are unjustly being held captive.

Here’s the orginal protest video which is taken from IAmGadfly’s
Youtube channel that now has about 37,000 views as of today:

(View Part 2, here)

At the corner of Hacienda & Maplegrove in the city of La Puente, Ca., many helping hands contributed to the painting of the church. Many gallons of bright red paint were applied to the building with the smallest brushes & rollers, to a motorized lift with spray guns. It truly was a community effort. Supporters donned Red T-Shirts or shirts that read “I Am Gadfly,” as a symbol of support for Eddie “Gadfly” Romero. From 7pm just as the sun was beginning to show signs of setting, 200+ gadfly’s were out and about constructing their own message of protest. Reporters & News stations from Chinese Television, (CTS) and CBS news showed up to film and broadcast the event.

CBS News Clip:

There was even an online journalist by the name of Jason Tucker who was broadcasting the event live over the internet from his iphone to about 10 websites. View his video clips by clicking here.

Chinese activist & author Kai Chen who played for China’s National basketball team in the 1970’s, showed up with some friends in support of Pastor Eddie by tying yellow ribbons to the front facing trees on Hacienda Blvd. He also spoke out boldy for the cameras of the atrocities that still occur and pleaded for people to not forget about the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989. Mr Chen is the author of One in a Billion, Journey Toward Freedom. You can obtain the book by clicking here.

(Photos appear courtesy of Israel Morales. © 2008. View
more photos of the event on the Gadfly Project Flickr page.)

Many people from the surrounding neighborhood came out to see what all of the commotion was about as well as drivers that stopped to ask questions. By the time the protest was almost complete around 11pm, 3 two-story banners were hung up on the buildings which read “Exodus8one.org :: Let My People Go :: Ratify & Release :: The Gadfly Project.” By midnight, The Gadfly Project protest#2 was successfully finished with all of the church’s outward facade painted in red, 3 banners hung, and sidewalks cleaned of excess paint. This was a bold statement that was made much to the sacrifice of the 200+ people that came out late on a Sunday night before work the next day!

Here’s a clip of Jason Tucker from earlier today that shows the church the day after.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For continued support of the religiously persecuted people of all faith communities, stand with us to make a statement that significant leaders will hear. With all of the freedom we have, let us move our intents of good will into action. Join us in sending letters to the International Olympic Comittee, The World Trade Organization, The United Nation’s High Commission on Human Rights, The Peoples Republic of China, and President George W. Bush. Click here to to act now and raise your voice!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For continued support of the religiously persecuted people of all faith communities, stand with us to make a statement that significant leaders will hear. With all of the freedom we have, let us move our intents of good will into action. Join us in sending letters to the International Olympic Comittee, The World Trade Organization, The United Nation’s High Commission on Human Rights, The Peoples Republic of China, and President George W. Bush. Click here to to act now and raise your voice!

(Photos appear courtesy of Israel Morales. © 2008. View
more photos of the event on the Gadfly Project Flickr page.)

On Sunday, August 17, 2008, at Hacienda Christian Fellowship (HCF) in La Puente, Ca, 200+ people turned up at our own “attention-getting” event. Members of HCF, other churches, and people from the Chinese community showed up in support of pastor Eddie and The Gadfly Project. In a bold statement, their event mirrored Gadfly’s controversial protest in which he painted 2 hotel rooms in Bejing one week before the start of Olympics. After asked why they were there, many people wanted to amplify and echo the message that was painted on the walls in Gadfly’s protest. They were standing with the message of Ratify & Release, The Gadfly Project’s goal which is for China to Ratify the ICCPR, and as a token of good faith, to release 5 prisoners who are unjustly being held captive.

Here’s the orginal protest video which is taken from IAmGadfly’s
Youtube channel that now has about 37,000 views as of today:

(View Part 2, here)

At the corner of Hacienda & Maplegrove in the city of La Puente, Ca., many helping hands contributed to the painting of the church. Many gallons of bright red paint were applied to the building with the smallest brushes & rollers, to a motorized lift with spray guns. It truly was a community effort. Supporters donned Red T-Shirts or shirts that read “I Am Gadfly,” as a symbol of support for Eddie “Gadfly” Romero. From 7pm just as the sun was beginning to show signs of setting, 200+ gadfly’s were out and about constructing their own message of protest. Reporters & News stations from Chinese Television, (CTS) and CBS news showed up to film and broadcast the event. Click here for the CBS news clip. There was even an online journalist by the name of Jason Tucker who was broadcasting the event live over the internet from his iphone to about 10 websites. View his video clips by clicking here.

Chinese activist & author Kai Chen who played for China’s National basketball team in the 1970’s, showed up with some friends in support of Pastor Eddie by tying yellow ribbons to the front facing trees on Hacienda Blvd. He also spoke out boldy for the cameras of the atrocities that still occur and pleaded for people to not forget about the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989. Mr Chen is the author of One in a Billion, Journey Toward Freedom. You can obtain the book by clicking here.

(Photos appear courtesy of Israel Morales. © 2008. View
more photos of the event on the Gadfly Project Flickr page.)

Many people from the surrounding neighborhood came out to see what all of the commotion was about as well as drivers that stopped to ask questions. By the time the protest was almost complete around 11pm, 3 two-story banners were hung up on the buildings which read “Exodus8one.org :: Let My People Go :: Ratify & Release :: The Gadfly Project.” By midnight, The Gadfly Project protest#2 was successful