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Woman Who Climbed Statue of Liberty in Immigration Protest Given Probation
Written by <a href="index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=50400"><span class="small">Mary Ann Georgantopoulos, BuzzFeed</span></a>   
Wednesday, 20 March 2019 08:25

Excerpt: "Therese Patricia Okoumou climbed Lady Liberty last year to protest family separation at the border."

Therese Patricia Okoumou. (photo: NYPD)
Therese Patricia Okoumou. (photo: NYPD)


Woman Who Climbed Statue of Liberty in Immigration Protest Given Probation

By Mary Ann Georgantopoulos, BuzzFeed

20 March 19


Therese Patricia Okoumou climbed Lady Liberty last year to protest family separation at the border.

he woman who scaled the Statue of Liberty last year to protest family separation at the border was sentenced in court Tuesday to five years probation.

Therese Patricia Okoumou climbed Lady Liberty on the 4th of July and spent about three hours there before police officers were able to get her down safely.

At the time, she told officials that she climbed onto the statue "for the children in Texas."

Okoumou was convicted last year of trespass, disorderly conduct, and interference with agency functions. She faced up to 18 months in jail.

On Tuesday, the 45-year-old arrived to federal court in Manhattan with her face covered in plastic tape. She told reporters it was to protest limits on her freedom of expression.

Presiding over the hearing, Judge Gabriel Gorenstein asked her to remove the tape before sentencing and she complied, according to reporters in the room.

Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Okoumou to 30 days behind bars and three years probation.

"I do not need probation and I do not belong in prison. I am not a criminal," she told the court.

Gorenstein ultimately sentenced her to five years of probation and 200 hours of community service.

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