Statue Climber: "They Went Low, and I Went as High as I Could"
A woman who climbed the base of the Statue of Liberty on the Fourth of July maintained her fierce attitude toward President Donald Trump's immigration practices after spending the night in jail.
“In a democracy we do not put children in cages,” Therese Okoumou said Thursday after a court appearance, referring to the separation of families who have crossed the southern border into the U.S. without prior permission. “Only a maniac would rip a tender age child from his mother.”
At the courthouse Okoumou (pronounced oh-KOO-moo) was greeted by cheering fans who called her a hero.
"When they go low we go high... and I went as I high as I could," Okoumou said, riffing on Michelle Obama's speech at the 2106 Democratic National Convention. Okoumu climbed up the entire pedestal of the Statue of Liberty Wednesday and reached the base of the copper figure, about 100 feet off the ground.
When asked how she was physically able to scale the statue, Okoumou, a personal trainer, said jokingly, “Pull-ups.”
The stunt caused the National Park Service to evacuate more than 4,000 visitors from Liberty Island Wednesday as a precaution. Outside the court, Okoumou thanked the park police for being civil with her when they removed her from the statue.
The 44-year-old Okoumou pleaded not guilty to trespassing and disorderly conduct and was released without bail after spending the night in custody. Her next court appearance will be August 3rd.
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