On Monday, the woman who climbed the base of the Statue of Liberty to protest against U.S. immigration policy last July 4, forcing thousands of visitors who wanted to visit the iconic statue on Liberty Island to evacuate the island, was convicted on all counts by a judge in Manhattan.
Therese Okoumou, part of a group of roughly 40 protesters from the group Rise and Resist who were carrying a banner calling for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), ignored police requests to come down for four hours before two officers climbed up to the base and took her to a ladder where she climbed down 25 feet to the monument’s observation point, where she was taken into custody.
But on Monday, Judge Gabriel Gorenstein found Okoumou guilty of trespassing, disorderly conduct and interfering with government functions; those convictions could put her in jail for up to 18 months.
JUST IN: Woman who scaled base of Statue of Liberty detained by authorities, led back down after several-hour standoff. https://t.co/VQbxWDci6R pic.twitter.com/Y18NBIxJ96
— ABC News (@ABC) July 4, 2018
The New York Post reported, “Okoumou, 44, came to court in a blue outfit littered with statements protesting Trump’s immigration policies, including ‘No human is illegal on stolen land.’”- READ MORE