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The woman who was arrested on July 4 after climbing the base of the Statue of Liberty to protest the Trump Administration's immigration policy was accused of trespbading and intruding. two other offenses and released Thursday by a magistrate. Therese Patricia Okoumou, 44, of Staten Island, pleaded not guilty to charges during a brief hearing in federal court in Manhattan. At the end of the proceedings, she raised her right fist, gathering applause from supporters in the audience room.
Outside the courthouse, Ms. Okoumou quoted the words of ex-First Lady Michelle Obama: "I went as high as possible," she told supporters . She called the decision to climb "the pulse of the moment."
Ms. Okoumou said he emigrated from the Republic of Congo to the United States in 1994, and his lawyer said that she was naturalized.
She began climbing the base of the statue shortly after 3 pm on one of the busiest days of the year of the monument. The Statue of Liberty usually attracts more than 20,000 visitors for the Independence Day holiday, according to the National Park Service
. Okoumou's confrontation with the authorities was shown live on television. After refusing to come down, members of the Emergency Services Unit of the New York Police Department escorted her around 6:30 pm
For security reasons, park officials evacuated about 4,500 people on Liberty Island. the hour, said Jerry Willis, a spokesman for the National Park Service.
Geoffrey S. Berman, US attorney in Manhattan, said Ms. Okoumou had "staged a dangerous waterfall that alarmed the public and endangered her own life. the life of the NYPD "
" While we must respect the rights of the people to a peaceful protest, "said Mr. Berman," this right does not extend to the violation of the law of a way that puts others in danger.
Earlier, authorities arrested seven more protesters, members of a group called Rise and Resist, who hung a banner calling for the abolition of law enforcement on Immigration and Customs in the United States. They each received a summons and escorted out of the island, according to the serg. David Somma, spokesman for the New York office of the United States Police Park.
Okoumou, who is known as Patricia, had been actively involved in the group's events, but members of the group did not know she was going to get on the statue, said the organizers of the Rise and Rise event. Resist
. A member of the Emergency Service Unit of the Police Department, said at a press conference on Wednesday that Ms. Okoumou was initially "a little combative" with the officers who were trying to save her.
"Then we calmed her down," he said. "We told him," We are just trying to get you off safely. "She then cooperated," he said.
In addressing his supporters after his appearance, Ms. Okoumou called the Zero Tolerance Administration of the Trump Administration "draconian." ", and said," No child belongs to a cage. "
Follow Benjamin Weiser on Twitter: @BenWeiserNYT .
Alain Delaquérière contributed to the research
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