A woman scaled the base of the Statue of Liberty late on the afternoon of July 4 — causing authorities to evacuate Liberty Island in New York City and proceed to coax her down.
The climber “took this action on her own,” per a live interview aired by NBC New York, according to “Annette” of the Rise and Resist NYC group.
Earlier in the day, members of the same group briefly hung a banner off the side of the pedestal. The banner read “Abolish I.C.E.” — and it appears the group did not have a permit to do so.
At 2:40 p.m. on July 4, the group was taken to Ellis Island for processing and was issued summons for illegally hanging the banner off the lower portion of the pedestal.
Jerry Willis of the National Park Service told the station the banner hangers will be appearing in federal court to answer for their actions.
On its Twitter page, the Rise and Resist group claimed its action did not include the climber’s stunt.
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It added in a later tweet it would continue the protests until ICE — the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — is abolished.
The statue climber had been moving back and forth between different sections of the base of the statue. She was seen periodically waving a T-shirt that said “Rise and Resist” and “Trump Care Makes Us Sick” and alternating between sitting, crawling, and lying down.
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The New York Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit joined the U.S. Park Police to bring the precarious situation safely to a close.
Authorities erected ladders that reached the base of the statue within a few feet of the woman and appeared to be engaging her in conversation.
Rise and Resist planned a banner drop today at the Statue of Liberty. This action did not include the climber on the statue. Our action was completed earlier. While it was not part of our action, our first priority and concern is for the safety of the climber.
— Rise and Resist (@riseandresistny) July 4, 2018
By 8 p.m. or so, the woman had been escorted down from statue, as Fox News and others reported — and was promptly apprehended by police.
A few thousand tourists had paid money to visit the island and the statue to celebrate American independence on July 4 — and their afternoon ended abruptly when they were evacuated because of this climber’s actions. A pair of NYPD officers on a safety rope system finally reached the woman and escorted her off the statue, the Associated Press reported.
To the idiot climbing the Statue of Liberty, your “cause” isn’t worth the lives of the brave first responders giving up their 4th to make sure you don’t die from your stupidity. #preach
— Todd Piro (@ToddPiro) July 4, 2018
I bet first responder families were thrilled with Abolish ICE protestors today as their loved ones risked their lives to save the idiot who climbed up the Statue of Liberty. Probably won over families who couldn’t visit the statue because the island was shut down too. #Idiots https://t.co/ZvYw58Baft
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 4, 2018
Because of ONE idiot, thousands of Americans who had made plans to witness the Statue of Liberty up close on America’s birthday are having to evacuate. Absolutely despicable! https://t.co/IMIBs5Apl0
— Kyle Morris (@RealKyleMorris) July 4, 2018
Michele Blood is a Flemington, New Jersey-based freelance writer and a regular contributor to LifeZette.
(photo credit, article: WCBS)
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