"In solidarity with our fallen brothers:" Medical College of Wisconsin students stage "die-in"

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Students at more than 50 medical schools across the country on Wednesday, December 10th hosted "die-ins" to protest the lack of indictments for police officers in the officer-involved deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York -- and the Medical College of Wisconsin was one of the schools hosting a #BlackLivesMatter demonstration. The purpose of the demonstration was to spotlight racial bias as a public health issue.

"As medical students, we're not exempt to what's going on in today's society," "die-in" organizer Brittany Mays told FOX6 News.

Students at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee joined students throughout the country in what's known as a "white coat die-in" -- an effort to display their disapproval of the way police deal with certain situations involving people of color.

"My one friend mentioned to me, and she actually made a sign that said, 'why is my biggest fear the thought of having a African-American son in this country?'" Mays said.

Mays says the high-profile police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner have motivated folks across the country.

"We are in solidarity number one, with our fallen brothers in this hard time of need," Mays said.

Wearing their white coats, more than four dozen medical students hosted their "die-in" in the front hall of their college's Heath Research Center, spending 20 minutes sprawled out and silent.

"We did 20 minutes because we wanted people to get the point of, like, just bodies laying in the street after the police brutality has occurred," Mays said.

A Medical College of Wisconsin spokesperson says the school supports the students' rights to stage the demonstration.

"It's great to see people really caring about this kinda thing because especially as a white student, you gotta go through life and you don't really think about race at all, and some people don't have that privilege. It's nice to have people come here and take 20 minutes out of their day and really kinda think about that kind of thing," Nick McCauley said.

While this show of support featured silence, Mays says she's hoping that it serves to encourage constructive conversations.