They were just residents of the city at the time, and obviously were aware of the massive protests but can also confirm second hand reports of violence and may have known people who died. They unambiguously expressed solidarity with the students, but you really need to press to get them to discuss it, and my Chinese is often insufficiently elegant for these topics. I actually tried to get them to make a video interview but they didn’t want to. They are in the process of getting US residency and I think they might be more open to the idea once they are fully moved over.

They are definitely well aware of the censorship surrounding the issue though. They stop short of speculation about what actually happened but they will tell you that the Chinese media did not report the situation accurately starting in the weeks prior. When I asked if western media reported it more accurately they responded in dialect or idiom I didn’t quite understand. Possibly some version of “how the fuck should I know?”

That’s about the extent of that interaction. I have gotten them to discuss politics on a few occasions. I think more than anything the person in question just kind of wants to be heard and tell their story, but has real fears about doing so.