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patricia okoumou

Criminal Justice, News, Social Justice

'Lady Liberty' Patricia Okoumou Will Not Go to Prison for July 4th Protest

A federal judge ruled Patricia Okoumou, known around the world as the “Statue of Liberty Climber,” will not spend any time in jail for her bold July 4 protest. Okoumou climbed the Statue of Liberty last year to draw attention to inhumane U.S. immigration policies. At the time, the Department of Homeland Security’s practice of…

By

Anne Branigin

Published

March 19, 2019
Culture

The Impossible Marathon of Journalism in 2018

At first, it felt easy enough to laugh at them. There was Alison Ettel (“Permit Patty”) crouching on a San Francisco sidewalk after confronting a black eight-year-old girl for selling water. There was Jennifer Schulte, who became an instant meme as “BBQ Becky,” breaking down in a fit of white tears after calling the cops…

By

Anne Branigin

Published

December 31, 2018
News

Statue of Liberty Protester Found Guilty on All Charges, Stands Strong: ‘I Am on the Right Side of History’

Therese “Patricia” Okoumou, the New Yorker who protested U.S. immigration policy on July 4 by climbing the Statue of Liberty, faces up to 18 months in federal prison after being found guilty on all three misdemeanor charges brought against her. Okoumou was found guilty of trespassing, interference with government agency functions, and disorderly conduct on…

By

Anne Branigin

Published

December 18, 2018
News

Patricia Okoumou Knows She Could Have Died During her Statue of Liberty Protest; She Did it Anyway

On July 4, 2018, amid the cursory cookouts, cheap beer and sunburns, Patricia Okoumou climbed the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, N.Y., to protest the treatment of immigrant children by the Trump administration. The 44-year-old personal trainer, herself an immigrant from the Congo, had taken part in a protest earlier that day with Rise…

By

Anne Branigin

Published

July 9, 2018