Green Party presidential candidate campaigns in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - With polarizing candidates like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, this presidential election seems ripe for a third party candidate. Now the newly minted nominee for the Green Party is in town making her case for your vote in November.

"I am the only presidential candidate who supports reparations," Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein told the crowd at a community forum on Black America. The group Neighborhoods Organizing For Change organized the event at the Capri Theater in Minneapolis.

The Harvard educated physician from Massachusetts says as President, she would encourage communities to set up civilian review boards to look into allegations of police misconduct and have independent investigators review every death at the hands of police.

"I share the point of view that we need to put communities back in charge of the police instead of the police in charge of the community," Stein said.

Earlier in the day, she spoke to supporters at First Universalist Church in South Minneapolis after answering questions from the media.

"The day Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton, the floodgates opened for our campaign," Stein said.

With progressive positions like $15 an hour minimum wage, an emergency green jobs program, free higher education and cancelling student loan debt, Stein is courting Sanders supporters disillusioned by his endorsement of Hillary Clinton.

"I'm not really satisfied with either of the major party picks. It seems like another case of picking the lesser of two evils and I'm ok with finding an alternative," said Rosemount native and Bernie supporter Taylor Hanson.

Stein is also trying to convince the electorate that voting for a third party candidate would not be a wasted vote.

"In my view, the wasted vote is to vote more for what's throwing us under the bus, knowing that if we have the courage of our convictions, we have an unstoppable force to move forward," Stein told reporters.

Polls show Stein hovering around 5 percent, far behind Trump, Clinton and even Libertarian Party Candidate Gary Johnson.

But Stein says if the 43 million Americans who have student loan debt vote for her in November, she could win the general election.

Sanders took part in similar community forum on race in the Twin Cities back in February.