Congress Wants Lady Liberty Reopened

BY PETE DAVIS AND LAUREN DARSON

Thursday, July 5, 2007 5:49 PM EDT

Free Lady Liberty.

That was the message the U.S. House of Representatives sent after it unanimously passed legislation to reopen the Statue of Liberty's crown and the observation deck it houses, which has remained closed since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

“The House of Representatives has spoken, and the National Park Service should promptly restore the Statue of Liberty to her full glory,” said Congressmember Anthony Weiner, who authored the legislation.

Although the statue's base, pedestal and observation decked reopened in August of 2004, the National Park Service has not reopened the crown to visitors - making it the only national park that has not been reopened since the attacks.

Phil Sheridan, a spokesperson for the National Park Service Northeast Region, said the organization does not comment on pending legislation, but the monument remains closed for health and safety reasons.

However, Weiner said that since the crown's closure to the public the statue has seen a 40.8 percent drop in visitors, which has also had an effect on the city's economy.

Steven Thomas, 50, a retired sanitation worker, agreed, saying that going to the top was the best part.

“When you go to the top you get to see the whole city,” Thomas said. “I'd pay more money if they would let me go to the top.”

Meanwhile, reactions amongst Queens residents were mixed when asked about the possibility of fully reopening the statue.

“If you can open all the airports after 9/11, then why not open it,” said James Benedetto, a 20-year-old student at Queensborough Community College. “All you need is tighter security.”

However, Courtney Brewer, 46, a stay-at-home mom from Bayside, said that if they reopened the crown, she would not be at the front of the line to go up.

“I wouldn't go up there,” she said. “I wouldn't even get on an airplane because of a terrorist attack. The day I decide to go up there could be the day a plane crashed through the statue.”

Others disagreed, saying that people should not live in fear of a terrorist attack.

“We shouldn't show that kind of fear to these other crazy nations,” said Donna, a retail salesperson from Bay Terrace. “We just have to say our prayers and hope it works out.”