By Marlena, World Can't Wait high school intern

The debate for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was held in Long Island at Hostra University. I was attending this debate with Stephanie from World Can't Wait and several others from different organizations. When we first arrived there we had to walk a long way to where the debate was being held carrying eight large boards. Each board said the U.S. was still waging on Middle Eastern countries and that neither party will stop the wars on the world and that it's up to us. As we began to walk to the debate the marshalls began giving us problems for us carrying our backpacks and bags. As we came closer towards the debate we were then told that we had to go through metal detectors which wasn't what me and Stephanie were expecting at all. I had the only surprised and questionable face. I didn't understand why we even had to go through the metal detectors when we were only protesting.

Finally we made it to the outside of the campus. I started getting excited because not only was this my first protest but I had a positive reason to protest about and a meaningful one. We were then put on this line that led to going through the metal detectors. We were standing online for about 30 minutes so far. I began taking pictures and video taping what was going on and I was observing what was going on as well. As me and Stephanie began setting up our boards a giant group wearing Hillary Clinton shirts jumped on line behind us. On the back of their T-shirts it said middle class lives matter. First question that popped up in my head was what about lower class people? Don't their lives matter?

After not even 5 minutes the giant Hillary Clinton group were let in to where the debate was being held while we were all still waiting to go through the metal detectors. Stephanie and I were so puzzled on how come they were being let in without going through metal detectors but we had to. We then realized that they were only letting Trump and Clinton supporters through to where the debate and the press were located. And we were left a mile away from the press and the debate. They even let a dog with a Hillary shirt on through before us.

We had finally made it to the metal detectors and the police searched our bags in a very messy-like manner. After going through the metal detectors they led us to walk all the way around the campus to the "free speech zone." As we were walking we came across the news people that were a part of the press from inside. They began turning off their cameras and the reporter stopped talking because we were all passing by. That was way more upsetting for me because then I felt unwelcomed. As we reached the back of the campus there were some Japanese press videotaping us and actually talking to us. Five minutes later were told to head back after walking about 15-20 minutes to the back of the school for nothing at all. Stephanie and I were disappointed on how things turned out. We had expected it to turn out differently. As we began walking back to the bus people were shouting negative things about Donald Trump. We also saw a truck that had a boxing glove punching Trump in the face. There was also negative music being played about Donald Trump. Stephanie and I then realized that Long Island didn't like Trump for sure.

I then felt bad for those people who came from different countries and different states and didn't get to get their actual point across and it's not like they were negative. They were all positive. This experience showed me a lot about what the press and the Congress really care about and what they don't care about. And we as the people are one of the least things they care about. They care more about war than the people.