“This is a symbol of America. Come on, let’s stand up and have some guts. If we have to have the security people there, let’s do it, but let’s get it open,” he said. The statue has been closed for security reasons since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The observation deck on the statue’s pedestal will reopen in July. But tourists still will not be allowed inside the statue itself. Security upgrades have cost the city $US7 million, which Bloomberg himself contibuted some money, said the statue never should have been shut in the first place. “If you have to have a police officer standing next to every single person going in there, that’s a better way to do it,” he said.
