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We tried it your way. We joined the party. We followed the rules. We were respectful.

We were dismissed. It has become very clear that we are not wanted within the Democratic Party on both a local and national level. Our voices and opinions have been treated as inferior and naïve. Every attempt at civil or polite debate has been squelched in efforts to promote this false sense of unity.

It was clear on the first day of the Democratic National Convention that organizers had only one goal when it came to the Bernie Sanders delegates: Keep them quiet. Our loud objections to the unfairness of the process were repeatedly met with demands for “respect,” that were actually thinly veiled demands for silence.

The DNC and the mainstream media took painstaking measures to paint a picture of unity that couldn’t be further from reality. We were not asked for our support. We were told we would be giving it. We were also informed the DNC now has a new “unity commission,” an ominous development that brings to mind the McCarthy-era witch hunts. Is the purpose of the committee to foster unity or ferret out dissent?

On the day of the roll call vote, delegation heads did everything possible to promote this façade of unity by crowding the delegation microphones with Hillary supporters. Dissenting voices would not be heard.

As I watched this charade go from one state to another, broadcasting these happy smiling faces, I couldn’t help but think to myself what a false representation of this moment was being promoted. I kept hoping that someone would act out — but no one did.

As the cameras were turned on my delegation and we went through the motions I realized that I, too, was just standing there smiling. But my heart was screaming, “Screw this!”

So in that moment, I decided to act on my feelings rather than pretend. My only regret is that I could not put up both hands.

This movement, this moment, is about more than just one man. This is about millions of people waking up to the injustice of our current system. It’s about tearing down the façade and creating a better world for the future generations. We are awake now, and we can never go back to sleep.

We are not radicals. We are not crazies. We are concerned citizens who are tired of standing quietly in the face of injustice and corruption. I will not be polite or remain silent simply to continue this narrow-minded narrative of the status quo.

When faced with such blatant displays of corruption and oppression, I would plead for more people to stop behaving themselves. Stop allowing your voice to be suppressed because that is what is necessary to fit in. It is our politeness that has led to an epidemic of political ignorance among the American people. Stand up even if you must do so alone.

As far as voting goes, it’s a hard choice. The Democratic Party of Hawaii will ban me for three years if I publicly endorse Jill Stein. However, they can’t stop me from sneaking in and voting for Jill anyway.