July 7, 2014

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20500

Re: Petition for Assistance: Over 100 Chinese People are trapped in the Holy Mountain

Dear President Barack Obama,

Two non-profit organizations, World Peace and Health Organization (WPHO) and Western Supreme Buddha Temple (WSBT), have offices in the building at 174 Shrine Road, Fultonville, NY, which is behind the residential house of the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs (Jesuit Shrine) in upstate New York.

After the road barricade incident of 2013, Father George Belgarde of the Jesuit Shrine has recklessly barricaded Shrine Road again, which is the access road leading to the office building of WPHO and WSBT. By using vehicles like tractor backhoe, Fr. Belgarde asked his staff to destroy Shrine Road brutally and horrifically. Five concrete blocks were put on the road by the Jesuit Shrine to entirely obstruct the path towards the Jesus Statue and our building. More horribly, Fr. Belgarde intimidated the deliveryman of Post Office. The behaviors of Fr. Belgarde, including destroying public driveway and trapping our building, have breached the Constitution of the US. Now we are facing catastrophe. We strongly suggest President Obama to send legal enforcement to protect the over 100 people in our building and remove the road barricades.

Here was what happened on us:

1) In 2005, our organization purchased Jesuit Shrine's former retreat center and a piece of mountain land adjacently, which were abandoned by Jesuit Shrine. We maintained good relationship with former Fr. Murray and Fr. McGuire when they served in the Jesuit Shrine, and they agreed with the philosophy of GHMZ's Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi, which is "to promote World Peace, Human Health and Religious Harmony". With expectation that "religious harmony" could start from here, we began our long-term investment and construction, hoping to transform the local community to an attractive destination which contains essential elements of both eastern and western culture for pilgrims and visitors. (See Exhibit 1)

2) Since Father George H. Belgarde S.J. became the director of Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, he refused our visit with good will many times. (See Exhibit 2.) Our friendship had been damaged.

3) On April 1, 2013, after Fr. Belgarde shut down the water system without notifying us ahead, which was shared by both Jesuit Shrine and us, he first erected a barricade with two tree trunks to block the road towards the Jesus Statue, and then blocked all access roads towards the building of retreat center. What Fr. Belgarde had done not only prevented pilgrims from making worship to the Jesus Statue, but also obstructed the development of local tourism. Significant negative impacts had been left to global pilgrims. (See Exhibit 3)

4) As minority, we called 911 multiple times without positive results. The answer given by police was negative, which was "Shrine Road is a private driveway". In addition, police warned us that we would be arrested for walking on Shrine Road. (See Exhibit 4) It was absurd! How could a worshiping road being used by public for over one hundred years become a private driveway?! How could the Coliseum of Jesuit Shrine serving as public worship place just become the Father's private property?

5) In order to avoid conflicts between neighbors, we would like to begin our Friendship Road repair project on June 21, 2013. However, Fr. Belgarde came with his guys, forcing the paving contractor to leave, erecting stick and blocks in the middle of Friendship Road, and calling the police to stop the road paving project. (See Exhibit 5)

In September 2009, according to a previous agreement, we started to build a new road along the property line between the Temple and the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, connecting Ripley Road and Shrine Road. Since the elevation difference between Ripley Road and the Temple's property was too high, the Temple suggested that the new road use about ten feet of the Shrine's property near the entrance. The former Director of the Shrine agreed to this proposal. (See Exhibit 6.) We regarded this as a gift and thus named the new road as "Friendship Road". This road has been used for almost five years without any dispute. What we cannot understand was why Fr. Belgarde wanted to arouse dispute over the ten feet grass land.

6) With no other choice, we asked for help from David S. Ciancimino, S.J., who is the Provincial of Jesuit New York Province. With Fr. Ciancimino's kind mediation, Fr. Belgarde had to remove all barricades on July 17, 2013, and the roads were accessible again. Peace came to this holy place once more. Nevertheless, we considered that Fr. Belgarde would not stop conspiring against us, and bigger incident plotted by him would soon follow. What happened has proved we were right:

On June 12, 2014, the road base of Friendship Road was destroyed ruthlessly by a tractor backhoe owned by Jesuit Shrine. (See Exhibit 7)

7) As Fr. Ciancimino prepared to leave his office, on June 30, 2014 at 9:30am, Fr. Belgarde deliberately ordered the shrine staff to damage Shrine Road by using Tractor Backhoe, obstructing it recklessly with five concrete blocks, and preventing people from visiting the Jesus Statue and accessing our building. On the following day he ordered a large section of the well-functioned Shrine Road to be destroyed with a tractor backhoe. The access road to Jesus Statue and our building was demolished, (See Exhibit 8); and the northern path of Shrine Road was blocked with the asphalt debris from the newly damaged Shrine Road and a pile of rubble. (See Exhibit 9)

8) Surprisingly, on July 2, Fr. Belgarde erected seven signs at the entrances of the Shrine Road, painting insulting language such as "No Dogs", to imply an affront to Chinese people. (See Exhibit 10.)

9) Blocking the roads, committing anti-Chinese behaviors, and destroying the over-100-year-old Shrine Road, what Fr. Belgarde had done also badly hurt the spirits of the saints who sacrificed themselves for disseminating love of Lord, as well as the hearts of Catholic followers.

10) The extreme behaviors of Fr. Belgarde severely infringed upon the right of Post Office to deliver mails, the rights of the staff to access the building freely, and the rights of emergency vehicles to save lives. What Fr. Belgarde has done had breached the Constitution of the US, and was nothing more than contempt against human rights and the US Constitution.

11) Since 2005, with direction of Holy Master Ziguang Shang Shi, our group provides services to local community and destined people from all walks of life. Our mission is to "relieve pain and suffering, and enlighten sentient beings". All of our members, including preachers and lay followers, promote teachings of Guang Huan Mi Zong and Esoteric Dharma cultivation method with compassion and altruism, for educating people to do good deeds and cultivate virtue, so that they can be freed from affliction and sicknesses, and make contributions to the mission of "World Peace, Human Health and Religious Harmony".

12) The lawless Fr. Belgarde has repeatedly conducted provocations against Chinese people and Buddhist group, blocking roads, intentionally destroying Shrine Road and public pilgrimage path towards Jesus Statue, intimidating the deliveryman of Post Office, and claiming Shrine Road was a private driveway, so as to exclude visitors using it. Over 100 witnesses, including Buddhist practitioners, pilgrims and visitors, were appalled by such extreme behaviors of Fr. Belgarde. They felt they were under life-threatening.

13) In order to prevent Fr. Belgarde from upgrading his extreme behaviors again, we strongly requested that President Obama could promptly send an investigation team to solve this Chinese exclusion event and road blockage event seriously according to relevant regulations. In addition, we urge the government to arrange legal enforcement to protect lives of over 100 Chinese people in the holy building. Further, we strongly solicit people from all walks of life to concern the development of this incident.

Thank you very much!

Sincerely,

For and on behalf of
World Peace and Health Organization

Jennie Wong