Jeff Davis, the Libertarian Party candidate for Hawaii governor, filed suit in federal court today claiming his civil rights have been violated.

Davis is suing the owner of Hawaii News Now, the publisher of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and the University of Hawaii regarding a televised debate Oct. 15 that included the other three candidates for governor but not Davis. The live debate was held at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Kakaako near downtown Honolulu.

Davis, according to a press release from attorneys Joseph T. Rosenbaum and Elizabeth Jubin Fujiwara, alleges that he “was threatened with arrest, harassed and intimidated by both the private security for the event and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center security guards” when he and supporters tried to go to the debate that night “to exercise their free speech rights.”

Libertarian Jeff Davis during a gubernatorial forum at UH West Oahu presented by the West Oahu Economic Development Association on Aug. 26.

PF Bentley/Civil Beat

Davis told Civil Beat, “I want a broader realization in the general public what sort of stranglehold the vampire media have on democracy. Every two years they sit like bears at the bottom of the salmon stream and choreograph the election, and it’s done all for capitalistic gain. They reward those with the money and punish those without, in order to keep those with the money in office.”

Civil Beat reported Monday that Davis said he was stopped by security guards outside the debate. He said they had photos of him so they would know who he is.

“I can understand not being in a debate, but it is my civil right to enter a public property to tell them that they are out of control,” Davis told Civil Beat last week. “I am pissed.”

Frank Bridgewater, a vice president and editor at the Star-Advertiser, said he had no comment on the lawsuit because he had not seen the complaint.

Lynne Waters, associate vice president for External Affairs and University Relations, said via email, “Since the University of Hawaii has not been served with said lawsuit and our attorneys have not had the opportunity to review it, we respectfully decline to comment at this time.”

A call to Mark Platte, the news director at Hawaii News Now, was not immediately returned. Platte previously told Civil Beat that he did not think Davis’ rights were violated.

Davis, who has run on a platform focused on eliminating what he calls a “pay-to-play” system in Hawaii politics, has participated in several gubernatorial forums this year but has been excluded from others.

He is trailing in the polls behind Democrat David Ige, Republican Duke Aiona and Hawaii Independent Party candidate Mufi Hannemann.

Video of Jeff Davis and Mark Platte, Kakaako, Oct. 15.