The protester who scaled the Statue of Liberty on July 4 was found guilty Monday after declaring on the stand she would do it again to draw attention to President Trump’s “callous†child separation policies at the Mexico border.
Patricia Okoumou was found guilty of trespassing, interference with agency functions and disorderly conduct for her three-hour protest that resulted in the evacuation of some 20,000 visitors from Liberty Island.
She took the stand in her own defense.
“Unfortunately, as long as our children are being placed in cages my moral values call for me to do something about it,†Okoumou said in Manhattan Federal Court.
Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gorenstein found her guilty of all counts after a half-day trial. He said he did “not doubt the sincerity of her beliefs†but rejected the argument that she should be acquitted due to the horror of breaking immigrant families apart.
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-statue-protester-trial-20181217-story.html
