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Authorities tried to talk to the woman but she refused to leave. For almost two hours she crossed the base of the statue, sometimes sitting in the folds of the statue's dress and Lady Liberty's sandal. Eventually, agents with ropes and climbing gear reached him. They put a harness and ropes on her to shoot her, and she crossed the statue on the other side with the officers, where a ladder was resting on the base of the statue.
The woman – identified as Thérèse Patricia Okoumou by a police source close to the investigation and another source who knows her – was part of a group of protesters and had declared that she would not go down Not until "all children are released," a source with the New York Police Department told CNN
She is affiliated with Rise and Resist, a group organizer, Martin Joseph Quinn, told CNN. But, said Quinn, his climb was not part of the planned protest. "She climbed without our knowledge, it was not part of our action," said National Park Service spokesman Jerry Willis, stating that the woman was in federal custody Wednesday night and that she would transported to an office of the US Marshals in Manhattan. 19659005] Park police have recommended fees to the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, Willis added. Possible charges include intrusion, disorderly conduct and interfering with government functions.
"Lady Liberty Crying"
Earlier, other protesters unfurled a banner on a balustrade around the base of the statue. ICE! "At least seven people were arrested on the island of Liberty and the site was closed to visitors.
Jay W. Walker, Organizer and Board Member of Rise and Resist, told CNN the theme of the protest Lady Liberty mourns the unconstitutional excesses of the ICE under the Trump administration
"We thought we wanted to do something with our Independence Day, a day that is obviously meant to reflect on the ideals on which this nation was founded This country has positioned itself as a lighthouse and, at the moment, we have a government who turns his back on these ideals, "said Walker
The visitors turned away
Liberty Island was evacuated During the police action, according to Willis. [19659002] The tourist Tiana Smith of Atlanta said that she was walking worm s the statue during a tour Wednesday afternoon when the workers started telling everyone to turn back
r And we saw the SWAT team come down, and the police came with their harnesses and helicopters, so we were like, yeah, we just needed to go there, "she told CNN
Statue Cruises, which offers trips to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island , had to divert up to 3,000 people because of the climber statue, told the CNN the representative of the company Rafael Abreu
The 4th of July is normally one of their busiest days of l & # 39; year. In general, one sees 22,000 visitors on the summer days, says Abreu.
At one point, Okoumou wandered back and forth under Lady Liberty's sandal, then sat down and appeared to unfurl a small flag or banner.
The NYPD had built a cable rescue system to help it get off the base because police officers did not believe it would come down from itself, said a police source. at CNN
