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G_j

(40,367 posts) Mon Dec 17, 2018, 08:29 PM Dec 2018

Woman who climbed Statue of Liberty in immigration protest found guilty

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/17/statue-of-liberty-climber-trial-us-immigration

Magistrate judge Gabriel Gorenstein says Therese Patricia Okoumou’s political and moral motivations did not trump the law

Victoria Bekiempis in New York
Mon 17 Dec 2018 16.13 EST First published on Mon 17 Dec 2018 14.33 EST

Okoumou said: ‘We stand on the right side of history. I am not discouraged.’

An activist has been found guilty of a series of federal crimes after she climbed on to the base of the Statue of Liberty this summer to protest against the US policy of separating migrant families and holding children in detention.

Magistrate judge Gabriel Gorenstein convicted Therese Patricia Okoumou, who goes by Patricia, on Monday afternoon after a one-day bench trial in New York, asserting that the protester’s political and moral motivations did not trump the law.

Okoumou had grown teary on Monday as she told a judge in New York about how the treatment of children at the US-Mexico border prompted her to scale the statue in a high-profile protest on the Fourth of July this year.

“I wanted to send a strong statement that children do not belong in cages,” said Okoumou, on Monday morning at the start of her trial at the Manhattan federal court.

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5 replies

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Woman who climbed Statue of Liberty in immigration protest found guilty (Original Post) G_j Dec 2018 OP

She gets possibly 18 months and Flynn gets nothing, BigmanPigman Dec 2018 #1

Flynn's sentence was within the federal sentencing guidelines The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #2

I certainly hope so! BigmanPigman Dec 2018 #3

she's right to protest but judge is right, too Hermit-The-Prog Dec 2018 #4

When I watched her on the statue on July 4th BigmanPigman Dec 2018 #5

BigmanPigman

(51,608 posts)

1. She gets possibly 18 months and Flynn gets nothing,

Reply to G_j (Original post)

Mon Dec 17, 2018, 08:34 PM

Dec 2018

Cohen gets only 3 years, etc. Where is the justice?

"Okoumou, a Congo-born naturalized US citizen who lives in Staten Island, was found guilty on charges of trespassing and interfering with government agency functions, as well as disorderly conduct, in relation to her climb. She pleaded not guilty.

The charges collectively carry punishment of up to 18 months behind bars. She will be sentenced at a later date."

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,732 posts)

2. Flynn's sentence was within the federal sentencing guidelines

Reply to BigmanPigman (Reply #1)

Mon Dec 17, 2018, 08:48 PM

Dec 2018

for the crime to which he pled guilty. Presumably he will be given credit for cooperation, which wasn't an issue in Okomou's case. Okoumou hasn't been sentenced yet, and if she has no priors she might not get any jail time either. 18 months is the collective possible sentence but it's very unlikely that she would get a consecutive sentence if she gets any jail time at all. I'm betting she gets probation.

BigmanPigman

(51,608 posts)

3. I certainly hope so!

Reply to The Velveteen Ocelot (Reply #2)

Mon Dec 17, 2018, 08:55 PM

Dec 2018

I hope people with extra money are helping to pay her legal fees.

Hermit-The-Prog

(33,349 posts)

4. she's right to protest but judge is right, too

Reply to BigmanPigman (Reply #3)

Tue Dec 18, 2018, 06:08 AM

Dec 2018

Civil disobedience has to take into account the consequences. The form of her protest got more attention to the issue than simply walking with a sign, but that guilty verdict is the consequence. I hope she knew about it before choosing to climb that base.

BigmanPigman

(51,608 posts)

5. When I watched her on the statue on July 4th

Reply to Hermit-The-Prog (Reply #4)

Tue Dec 18, 2018, 04:48 PM

Dec 2018

I knew that her actions caused a lot of problems for the police and "rescuers" since they had to spend money to get her down, get manpower who could handle that specific arrest and they had to block holiday events, etc. and that aspect of it would cause her trouble.

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