Members of the public were evacuated from New York’s iconic Liberty Island on Independence Day after a woman scaled the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, according to authorities.
The woman, who at times could be seen waving what appeared to be a T-shirt, refused to climb down from her perch at the hem Lady Liberty’s robe for about three hours, despite making contact with the joint U.S. Park Police and NYPD response team.
Two officers eventually detained the woman after creating a rope-and-harness system to ensure their own safety as they walked around the statue’s base to the back of her shoe where the woman was cornered.
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U.S. Park Police’s Sgt. David Somma told CBS News the woman was not considered a direct threat, but her demonstration posed a “threat to public safety.”
In a separate protest on the island, seven people belonging to the New York City chapter of a group called Rise and Resist were arrested by U.S. Park Police after they unfurled a banner at the foot of the monument that read “Abolish ICE,” according to multiple news outlets, including NBC.
LATEST: Two officers have reached the woman who scaled the base of the Statue of Liberty. https://t.co/nv6oGo4NQ5 pic.twitter.com/eeyujxBBci
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 4, 2018
A group organizer for Rise and Resist told CNN that while the woman was associated with her organization, her climb was not a sanctioned action and made clear it had nothing to do with Wednesday’s planned protest.
The Climber on the Statue of Liberty has no connection to our #abolishice action earlier today. @NYDailyNews @ABC
— Rise and Resist (@riseandresistny) July 4, 2018
