Is there a way to open a locked lift gate from inside the vehicle without power?

I found some pretty awesome looking tail lights on a Blazer in a scrap yard yesterday and I really want them, however the lift gate needs to be opened to get them off. I couldn't get the lift gate open, or even the glass. My guess is the drivers side door is locked, but not much remains of the driver's door.

 

I was able remove a couple screws and pry back the plastic interior panel on mine and push the rod to the unlock position, and open it like normal when my wiring harness was out of the truck. It did slightly crack my interior panel though.

 

Maybe just use a 12V Battery, pull the switch in the dash and jumper it.