Third Party Presidential Candidate Arrested for Refusing to Leave the Site of Tonight’s Debate

Jill Stein feels that as someone who has her name on the ballot of the 2012 presidential election, she deserves to be heard at tonight’s presidential debate at Hofstra University.  The police, however, disagree and have arrested Stein and her running mate, Cheri Honkala.

Stein spoke to police and the crowd this afternoon shortly before her arrest.

“If you have done the work to get on the ballot, if you are on the ballot and could actually win the electoral college by being on the ballot in enough states, then you deserve to be in the election and you deserve to be heard. The American people deserve to hear choices which are not bought and paid for by multinational corporations and Wall Street. This is why we are not hearing the critical issues in this debate.”

Stein and Honkala attempted unsuccessfully to gain access to the debate hall.  When police erected barricades, they sat down on the street in front of the university with an American flag draped over their laps.  Nassau County police threatened the women with arrest, but they still refused to move, demanding their first amendment rights.

Bob Commike, a Socialist Alternative party protester agreed with the women.  “There are numerous people running.  Where are their voices heard? They don’t have the money so their voices aren’t heard so it’s democracy for the rich that we have.”