Statue of Liberty climber comes down after 4-hour standoff
NEW YORK — A Statue of Liberty base climber has been escorted down by police after a roughly 4-hour standoff.
Liberty Island was evacuated because of the climber.
It happened on the Fourth of July shortly after several people were arrested after hanging a banner from the statue’s pedestal calling for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
News helicopter video showed the climber sitting Wednesday by the bottom of the statue’s robes, about 100 feet (30 meters) aboveground. Police nearby tried to persuade the climber to descend.
Earlier, National Park Service spokesman Jerry Willis said at least six people were taken into custody for the banner, which read “Abolish I.C.E.,” referring to part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Willis says federal regulations prohibit hanging banners from the monument.
Banner organizing group Rise and Resist says the climber isn’t connected to its demonstration.
