Chicago Joins Defacing of Mt. Rushmore For a Cause
Greenpeace activists hang global warming banner on monument
By KRISTIN NEHLS
Updated 1:19 PM CST, Tue, Jul 28, 2009
We can’t imagine toilet-papering the Lincoln Memorial or spray-painting the White House, but leave it to Greenpeace to unabashedly deface Mount Rushmore.
A Chicago woman was charged Wednesday for helping drape an anti-global warming banner on the Mount Rushmore monument along President Abraham Lincoln’s face.
Mary Sweeters is one of 11 charged with trespassing after using park service rock anchors to unfurl a 65-by-35-foot banner that read, “America honors leaders not politicians: Stop Global Warming.”
The banner also showed an unfinished portrait of President Obama’s face. Environmental group Greenpeace said it was representative of Obama’s still-undetermined legacy.
Greenpeace said three of its members hung the banner on Mount Rushmore while the remaining activists blocked entry to the site. One other activist may also be from Illinois, Greenpeace said.
It is not clear whether the woman from Chicago was one of the three that hung the banner or if she helped block access while the deed was being done.
Twelve people were escorted away in handcuffs and foot chains, but one person was not charged. U.S. Attorney Marty Jackley would not elaborate on the reason for the twelf suspect's release.
The National Park Service said in a statement that its staff and security responded quickly to the activists after detecting them early on. Authorities say tourists and visitors were not in danger.
Jackley said that none of the activists had been charged for property investigation but that the investigation is ongoing.
The activists were released after the hearing Wednesday. If charged with trespassing, they could face up to six months in prison or a $5,000 fine, prosecutors said.
First Published: Jul 9, 2009 12:24 PM CST
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