The images of her protest are absolutely striking.
“Differences of race, nationality or religion should not be used to deny any human being citizenship rights or privileges." - Rosa Parks
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 5, 2018
"When one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear." - Rosa Parks #TheresePatriciaOkoumou pic.twitter.com/BMYjkdAH6O
Resistance is patriotic #TheresePatriciaOkoumou #OnwardTogether #HappyFourth #AbolishICE pic.twitter.com/sedIepEG8q
— Hillary In Pictures (@HillaryPix) July 5, 2018
Also, if you've never been to the Statue of Liberty, or ever paid much attention to how it's structured, take a look at this image, care of the National Parks Service, to see what it actually means to scale the Statue all the way to her base and settle into the folds of her dress:
As Bree Newsome, who in 2015 scaled the 30-foot flagpole at the South Carolina state capitol to remove the Confederate flag, noted on Twitter, this was a pretty great way to mark the Fourth:
Protesting at the Statue of Liberty demanding an end to state violence & the inhumane detention of children seems a fitting way to spend a holiday that's purportedly about celebrating the end of tyranny. Happy July 4th to #TheresePatriciaOkoumou
— Bree Newsome (@BreeNewsome) July 5, 2018
✊🏾❤️
Indeed. Which nonetheless did not prevent some of the tourists, who had to be evacuated from the island while police arrested Okoumou, from complaining about how she ruined their trip.
Some Liberty Island tourists ferried back to the Battery after the evacuation were upset about having their visits interrupted.
"We had just gotten on the island, we walked probably five minutes and all of a sudden, they're shuffling us out. We didn't even spend 10 minutes," said one woman from Columbus, Ohio.
Another man visiting from Miami with his family said the protester "ruined our visit."
"It's not every day you get to go to the Statue of Liberty on the Fourth of July," he told News 4. "At first we thought it was a terrorist attack, and then we found out it was a protester... I think there is a right way of protesting, a legal way of protesting, and she just ruined our trip."
What does the Statue of Liberty on the Fourth of July even mean to you if you're angry about a protestor who makes a scene to resist the Trump Regime's war on immigrants? https://t.co/21vq6yV9Dg pic.twitter.com/Qh6tiYLDHk
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 5, 2018
Okoumou, an immigrant who scaled the Liberty, a statue dedicated to welcoming immigrants to this country, on the Fourth, a holiday on which people ostensibly show their patriotism to the nation's democratic ideals, understands the meaning of "the Statue of Liberty on the Fourth of July" far better than these American tourists.
And she is a greater patriot than any Republican currently holding federal office, too.
She will be arraigned in federal court this morning, and, after that hearing, it will become clearer what we will be able to do to best support her.
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