The radicalization of the left took a new twist on Wednesday as a member of the Rise and Resist NYC movement climbed the base of the Statue of Liberty, forcing the evacuation of Liberty Island and pretty much screwing visitors from all over the globe out of their few minutes with Lady Liberty.

The Fourth of July protest on Liberty Island involved the unfurling of a banner that read "ABOLISH ICE" by Rise and Resist, whose leaders claim to have been unaware that 44-year-old member Therese Patricia Okoumou planned to scale the base of the statue.

Okoumou, a native of The Democratic Republic of the Congo resides on Staten Island. The New York Post reports that Okoumou was arrested last year following a demonstration outside the Department of Labor in New York. The paper says a 2005 discrimination complaint filed by Okoumou against her former employer was dismissed by the New York City Commission on Human Rights. No reason was given by the Post for the dismissal.

Rise and Resist activist Jay Walker tells the Post, “She’s very dedicated to the resistance generally, but specifically to the issues surrounding immigration and the treatment immigrants have been receiving from ICE and Customs and Border Control."

If your bucket list included a Fourth of July visit to the Statue Of Liberty, I'm sure Rise and Resist convinced you to vote Democrat this fall, right?

You ever try to get through security on Liberty Island? How did these clowns with the banner get through?

The American people are always up for a good political debate. But Americans do not buy into radicalism. Violence, anarchy and disruption do not play well here as a means of making a political point.

Many Americans are wondering why Okoumou, a radical Congolese immigrant, would want to be here in the first place if she is so disheartened by our way of life. Others might rightfully question how she got here in the first place, and whether she ought to be allowed to stay.

Violent left-wing radicals and extremists are attempting to change America to fit the socialist agenda for which they advocate. Working class Americans need to continue to push back or the proud nation we inherited will be lost forever.

Reject radicalism and resist the resisters.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. 

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