Lady Liberty Has Seen It All Before
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Statue of Liberty, a fixture in New York Harbor since 1886, has been used by other thrill-seekers and protesters on a number of occasions in recent years.
• Nov. 6, 2000: Flags from Puerto Rico and Vieques are draped from statue's crown to protest U.S. Navy's use of bombing range on Puerto Rican island of Vieques. A dozen people arrested.
• Dec. 2, 1990: man protesting conviction of American Indian activist Leonard Peltier in the slaying of two FBI agents uses mountain-climbing rope to descend from statue's observation deck. He was arrested on disorderly conduct charge.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}• Aug. 27, 1988: Five anti-Castro protesters ticketed for assembling without permit after handcuffing themselves to handrail in statue's crown. The men stood in line with tourists for two hours before their protest.
• Oct, 16, 1986: Australian stuntman parachutes off statue, jumping from the torch and landing safely. The man, charged with parachuting without a license, later said: "I just couldn't help myself."