Falun Gong, a religious movement born in China in the early 1990s, today has its headquarters at a 400-acre estate in the woods of Orange County, near Middletown. And, according to new reporting in New York Magazine, Middletown is experiencing a slow-motion annexation by the sect.
Investigative Journalist WIll Bredderman reported on Falun Gong and Middletown in his New York Magazine in article “The Little Town Being Taken Over by Falun Gong.” He reports that through its various arms, it has acquired over $18 million in real estate in the town of 30,000 residents — not counting the many more properties its adherents and their companies have purchased in recent years.
Much of Falun Gong’s business operates silently, though it’s probably best known for the popular Shen Yun Chinese dance troupe that has toured all over the world (The New York Times recently reported on some of the troupe’s young performers describing a culture of untreated injuries and emotional manipulation).
Two other well-known mouthpieces of the movement are The Epoch Times newspaper and its television affiliate, New Tang Dynasty, or NTD, notorious trumpets of right-wing disinformation, Bredderman reports. Both outlets made news in June when the Epoch CFO was indicted for allegedly running a $67 million money-laundering scheme and the media conglomerate’s founder subsequently resigned.
Radio Catskill’s Tim Bruno spoke to Will Bredderman about the group and how it insinuated itself into the community.
Image: The Falun Gong Dragon Springs compound in Otisville, NY, in 2019. (Credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Ridiculous! What’s next! Will they have their own government in the city of Middletown? Mayor and counsel are selling outs
I’m so sick of them! They are taking over cuddebackville get away with everything they want. Building and spreading whatever dust around. And now taking over middletown and Noone stops them. I want to know why they are still wearing masks what is it they are spreading we don’t know!
I would like to know the same thing, not only about Dragon springs, but also about what is going on with New Century on Route 209!!
Of course they have skirted ALL environmental issues and laws.
Agreed! They are building who knows what up in dragon springs and when I called the town officials to see what’s going on they said we will look into it. That was about 5 months ago still haven’t heard back from them. They are polluting the bashakill that runs into our well water
Otisville is not Middletown, NY.. It is a different PO Box, in the Town of Mt Hope and Orange County. The Federal and State Penitentiarys are also in Otisville, and so is a Metro North Railroad Station. I was born and grew up in Middletown, My Dad was Mayor and I went to school in Middletown. Do not compare Building Permits and Projects in the outside Townships with the Administration of the City of Middletown.
Boycott Shen Yen!!! Feel so sorry for those young dancers working like at labor camp with no or very low pay!!! Our government should investigate those abuses!!!
This article is actually shocking. We travel to Middletown frequently for our favorite craft beer, grab a gourmet hot dog and visit the big Chinese market there. Middletown was a dreary town with little opportunity in the past but is now full of businesses and opportunity. It looks to be growing and changing. Some people hate change but that is what America is all about. We are an enterprising people. The Falun Gong practitioners there teach ancient qigong and meditation for free to the public (and they are good at it !) They talk about living in peace in truth, compassion and tolerance with others every day. Whats so bad about that ? The communists hate that – makes one wonder who wrote this article…..
I have family living in Otisville and I visit there often. Throughout the past 15 years I’ve met a very diverse group of people in the many farms, parks, events and restaurants that my grandchildren and I have visited over the years. And it’s always been a fun experience!
They have friends and neighbors that are Falun Gong practitioners. They are kind, peaceful people. I’m thinking the author of this article should be more concerned about the illegal immigrants that have been allowed to come to NY on the tax payesr than about peaceful people who are contributing to this community.