Statue Of Liberty Protester Shouldn't Get Jail Time, Laywer Says

NEW YORK, NY — A lawyer for the woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty last month argued she should not go to jail for her Independence Day protest. Ron Kuby, an attorney for Therese Patricia Okoumou, said he asked a Manhattan federal judge Friday to decide whether he intends to impose a jail sentence in the case.

Okoumou's case would be resolved through expedited proceedings if the judge determines she would not get jail time for the misdemeanor charges of trespassing, interference with government agency functions and disorderly conduct, Kuby said.

"Our client acted in literally the highest traditions of nonviolent civil disobedience, captivating the attention of the world on America’s most special day to bring to the world’s attention the plight of immigrant children," Kuby said after Okoumou's Friday morning court appearance. "That should not be penalized with a jail sentence; that should be rewarded."

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment on the request. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Oct. 1.

Okoumou's spur-of-the-moment July 4 protest, which Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman called a "dangerous stunt," led to a standoff with police and reportedly forced thousands of tourists to evacuate the island. Okoumou faces up to six months in prison on each of the federal charges, to which she has pleaded not guilty.

Invoking Martin Luther King Jr., Okoumou, 44, maintained that her climb was a justified action against the separation of immigrant families under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, which she called "draconian and immoral."

An online petition calling for Berman to drop the charges against Okoumou had more than 2,500 signatures as of Friday.

"I didn’t think that I needed the world’s permission for my courageous act," said Okoumou, of Staten Island. "I placed myself at risk for the children who cannot speak for themselves."

Protesters greeted Okoumou, a naturalized U.S. citizen who immigrated from Africa in 1994, with cheers as she walked out of court wearing a green dress emblazoned with the words "I REALLY CARE WHY WON'T U?"

Three women dressed as Lady Liberty held signs that read "Abolish ICE" and "Return the children" as a group waited for her hearing to end.

Okoumou's remarks after the hearing included a profane song rebuking the "fascist USA" and praise for Rise and Resist, the activist group to which she belongs. Rise and Resist activists were also arrested July 4 after they unfurled a banner at the Statue of Liberty calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

(Lead image: Therese Patricia Okoumou, the protester who climbed the Statue of Liberty on July 4, speaks outside Manhattan federal court on Friday. Photo by Noah Manskar/Patch)