A woman was arrested Wednesday, July 4, after scaling the base of the Statue of Liberty. Sometimes hiding under Lady Liberty’s sandal, other times in the folds of her dress, protester Therese Patricia Okoumou, 44, dug her heels in for the long haul in an effort to shine a spotlight on the migrant jails under the Trump administration.
Okoumou was eventually apprehended by the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Service Unit. The Emergency Service Unit is utilized for some of the most dangerous rescue operations in the area.It took three hours to talk Okoumou down from the proverbial ledge.
In total, approximately 16 officers were called to the scene in an effort to diffuse the situation and bring her to safety.
Okoumou is an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to court documents, she once filed a lawsuit against the New York City Commission on Human Rights. She is also affiliated with the human rights group Rise and Resist, according to group organizer Martin Joseph Quinn.
Liberty Island turned away visitors during the incident. A reported 3,000 people were rerouted from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island when Statue Cruises paused operations.