NEW YORK - They are becoming a familiar sight in Manhattan: Falun Gong practitioners standing on street corners, displaying banners and distributing newspapers describing the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

“I think everyone in New York has one of those flyers,” quipped one vendor at Grand Central Station.

Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world began gathering in New York a week before the Republican Convention. They have stayed through the opening of f the 59th United Nations General Assembly, and according to one practitioner, they have no plans of leaving anytime soon.

Their goal: to let every New Yorker learn about Falun Gong and the persecution.

A practitioners explains the persecution to two passersby at a street market on Fulton Street. (The Epoch Times)

According to practitioners, the persecution in China has lasted five years so far, with hundreds of thousands of practitioners arrested, incarcerated in slave-labor camps, tortured, and many killed.

However, China’s economic leverage has discouraged coverage by the world media, and most people have no idea this tragedy is occurring.

“During the convention, many people asked ‘What is Falun Gong?’” said one practitioner. “Now, I hear people asking, ‘Is that the latest issue of the newsletter?’ We are starting to break through.”

A practitioner distributes information by a depiction of torture methods at the Fulton Street bazaar. (The Epoch Times)

Besides passing out literature on the streets, practitioners are visiting businesses, talking to local media, and occasionally holding press conferences and large-scale exercise demonstrations.

“Because New York is an important media center and attracts visitors from around the world, this is a perfect place for us to spread our message,” said Florida practitioner Paulene Jasurek. “I came here on my vacation to tell the world that Falun Gong is good and the persecution is very, very bad.”