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NEW YORK – A July 4 protester who climbed the base of the Statue of Liberty in what prosecutors call a "dangerous waterfall" will face a judge in New York . Therese Patricia Okoumou is charged with trespbading, interference in government duties and disorderly conduct.
Okoumou refused to come down during a three-hour confrontation, endangering his own life and that of NYPD policemen. The court documents also accused Thérèse Okoumou of resisting the arrest by refusing to leave her perch at the bottom of the statue's robes, about 100 feet above the ground. The police were forced to climb the statue to shoot it.
Det. Brian Glacken of the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit said at a press conference that Okoumou had told them about "children in Texas", referring to the policy of the NYPD Trump administration of 19459006 which separated the families illegally entered the country. The officers put a harness and a rope around her to make her fall. About 16 officers participated in the rescue, police said.
In announcing the charges Thursday, US attorney Geoffrey S. Berman called the incident "dangerous waterfall".
A woman walks on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in the port of New York. July 4, 2018.
WABC / NNS
"Although we must respect the rights of the people to a peaceful protest, this right does not extend to the violation of the law in a way that would put others at risk," Berman said. in a statement
. Pamela Smith, police chief of the park, said the incident "disrupted thousands of visitors on one of the busiest days of the year at the Statue of Liberty" . The National Park Service has decided to evacuate more than 4,000 visitors to Liberty Island on Wednesday "out of caution," spokesman Jerry Willis said. He added that the average attendance of 4 July was 20,000 to 25,000 people, he added.
The park department was reviewing the video security tape to try to determine how the woman was climbing. He also looked more closely at the statue to see if there was any damage, although that was unlikely, he said.
Copper-colored skin is only two-sous thick, but "it's strong". 19659002] "This statue has been in the middle of New York Harbor for 130 years – with hurricanes and lightning and all that nature has thrown at it," he said. "She survived very well."
A spokesman for the National Parks Service told Reena Roy Thursday at CBS New York that Okoumou had used a ledge over a gate on the public observation deck for to hoist on the base of the monument. day, at least six people who hung a banner with a message about the abolition of the Federal Agency for Immigration and Customs pedestal of the statue were arrested. The sign reads: "Abolish ICE"
ICE is a division of the Department of Homeland Security whose agents arrest and expel unauthorized immigrants into the United States, among other duties
– CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) 5 July 2018
A member of the protest group Rise and Resist, who Hooked the banner, told CBS News that the woman who climbed onto the pedestal of the statue was a colleague, reports Anna Werner, CBS News correspondent. She did not identify the woman but said that the group was not aware of her plans.
Okoumou, 44, of Staten Island, was scheduled to appear in federal court in Manhattan later on Thursday. Members of the Rise and Resist group gathered in front of the Manhattan court before the appearance to show their support, reports CBS New York. One carried a sign that read: "Patricia, my heroine."
If found guilty, Okoumou would face six months in jail for each charge
The name of his lawyer was not available immediately.
