POTSDAM -- Students at SUNY Potsdam and community members are planning a “die-in” demonstration Friday, Dec. 5 to express outrage at the treatment people of color get from police and the recent unwillingness of grand juries to charge police in recent incidents where black suspects died at the hands of police.

In this student organized and led demonstration students will be at the Barrington Student Union on campus from noon to 4:30 p.m.

Other participants will be outside holding signs in an attempt to educate people on brutality by police, which they believe was the case in the recent deaths at the hands of police of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. in August and Eric Garner in New York in July.

A poster for the event explained why they feel a demonstration is called for:

“Black and Brown lives matter. Police brutality has to stop. Students hope this event becomes a catalyst spurring discussions on ensuring equality for everyone regardless of ethnicity.”

Kevin Agyakwa, a junior communications major, is one of the leaders of the event.

In a news release, the 20-year old African-American male from the Bronx pointed out Michael Brown was scheduled to start college in the fall. He never made it because he was killed just days before classes began.

Agyakwa says he wants to spark a larger discussion about the struggles African-American and Latino people are facing throughout the country.

Sometimes students believe they are looked at with suspicion just because of their skin tone when they are doing normal activities such as walking, shopping or driving through town, Agyakwa said.

“There are people that are fighting a battle we know nothing about,” said Agyakwa, a former Black Student Alliance vice-president and member of the Bear Witness, Potsdam’s Step Team. “There are times I don’t feel comfortable walking around town by myself. I don’t know how people perceive me (being a black man).”

He said it is his and the other students’ desire this event will be peaceful and will raise awareness regarding police conduct and spark discussions regarding true equality for all.

Community members will also participate in the demonstration. Members of the International Socialist Organization a human rights organization will participate. SUNY Potsdam Adjunct Professor Laura Fair-Schulz, a member of ISO, said it is important to take a stand against police brutality because “white silence is violence,” and taking a stance in this peaceful event “is an opportunity to draw a line and get people off the fence and get people to see the truth.”

Like-minded community members are invited to participate.