June 24th, 2000 The Big Day!!!   At eleven-thirty the group convened at the World Trade Center in downtown L.A. There was already a crowd of hundreds waiting outside. During the three-mile walk to the Chinese Consulate, many people joined us, and police escorts allowed us to cross through red lights. They also ribboned off a two-block area in front of the consulate. The stream of protestors included about six hundred at its peak.   The rally began with chanting in front of the consulate, with the relentless sun beating down. A stage built for the purpose was used for speeches by Ani Pachen, Ven. Palden Gyatso, Pema Lhundup, Phillip Wu, Ava Park, Larry Gerstein, Thupten Tsering of Students for a Free Tibet, and a member of the state Senate. Palden Gyatso cut the Tibetan star out of the Chinese flag. Then, to culminate the event, the flag was burned and six Tibetans performed a symbolic "dying," which was very powerful and turned the emotional level of the event up to its peak. Each Tibetan fell to the ground, pretending to be dead -- one Tibetan for each of the six million Tibetans inside Tibet. "Mourners" then placed Tibetan flags over the bodies and lit candles, while monks and nuns sang a traditional prayer song for the dead. A running narration explained the hardships that the Tibetan people have endured for fifty years. Palden Gyatso and Ani Kelsang stood over the bodies with silk katas tied over their mouths to represent the enforced silence of the Tibetan people inside Tibet. It was incredibly moving, and was followed by the strongest round of chanting aimed at the consulate. Although the building was closed for the day, there was one window open in the front of the consulate, and video cameras pointed at the street certainly recorded the event.   In the evening, the Tibetan Alliance of Southern California held a culminating dinner and the walkers were presented with certificates of achievement and copies of the book Ethics for the New Millenium by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The strong feeling of solidarity in the room gave rise to many promises to continue the struggle and continue walking until Tibet becomes free. It was decided that a picture of the Dalai Lama would be carried from walk to walk, the next one being a day's march in Washington D.C. on July 1st. Following that, Ani Pachen will bring the photo to Europe for another walk ending in Geneva at the United Nations. So, the walk ends, and the group is left to slowly dissapate. However, we do have a week to spend listening to teachings by the Dalai Lama, "Illumiating the Path." A nice closure to a wondeful experience.
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