On Tuesday, in what could be described as a massive publicity stunt (Looks like it worked, eh?) a man scaled the 483-foot-tall Chase Tower in downtown Phoenix without a harness or any safety equipment.
He succeeded in climbing the 40-story tower at around 10:45 AM. Upon his completion, he was booked in a Maricopa County jail on trespassing and criminal nuisance charges.
Maison DesChamps, 23, an ambassador for letthemlive.org, is known as the self-proclaimed "Pro-Life Spiderman" whose motive is to raise awareness and funding for mothers giving birth to children who can't bear the financial burden of a child. It appears this to be his full-time gig, and he travels the country climbing skyscrapers to raise awareness for his cause, which makes me kind of appreciate my day job just a little bit more. On his Instagram, he talks more about his motives and reasoning.
Our first responders were on the scene as DesChamps continued to ascend the massive structure, which uncoincidentally is Phoenix's tallest building. The team continually offered assistance and were making sure he was not fatigued.
AZ Central spoke with Cap. Tom Keller, of the Phoenix Fire Dept. and had offered his own opinion on the matter:
"This is highly dangerous," Keller said. "This is absolutely not the thing to do."
Keller noted that the Valley has a plethora of venues appropriate for free climbing — a type of climbing where the climber does not use ropes or harnesses that might prevent a fatal fall — and that the 483-foot Chase Tower was not one of them.
Regardless of the motive, what was he thinking? I can't come up with a single situation where this would be a good idea. Some possible alternatives could have been a church fundraiser, a car wash, and maybe even getting an extra part-time job.
This was absolutely done for attention and in theory that should be fine, but when people become a danger to themselves and those around them, as well as waste our public resources, then it becomes more of a nuisance than a message. The things people do will never cease to amaze me.
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