NM man charged in Rushmore protest

MOUNT RUSHMORE, S.D. (KRQE) - A New Mexico man is among eleven people arrested Wednesday for bypassing security and hanging a banner on Mount Rushmore.

Joe Smyth, 27, faces federal charges for the incident for illegal climbing and trespassing.

Smyth, the New Mexico field organizer for Greenpeace, said the banner addressed President Obama. It read, "America honors leaders, not politicians. Stop global warming." He said it was an urgent crisis.

The banner, hung to the right of Abraham Lincoln's face on the mountain, was up for about an hour. The National Park Service is now holding the banner as evidence.

"There was no harm done to the monument," he said. "We took every precaution to ensure that that not happen."

Smyth told News 13 he's prepared to face the consequences.

"We're fully prepared to go for jail for this because we all really, really believe in this," he said on the phone.

Smyth and the other 10 protestors from seven other states are scheduled to attend a court hearing on Friday. All 11 were released on their own recognizance after a hearing Wednesday.