Dr. Brian H. Williams, trauma surgeon at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, gave a powerful statement at a press conference Monday afternoon expressing his solidarity with the city and its law enforcement officers, but also trying to convey how he understood the “angst that comes when you cross the path of a man in uniform and you’re fearing for your safety.”

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“I’ve been there, and I understand that,” Williams said. “But for me that does not condone disrespecting or killing police officers. And it’s something that I’m struggling with constantly. And I truly don’t know what I’m going to do next.”

Williams said that when he was traveling in public with his daughter and they came upon police officers, he would do “simple things” like pick up the officers’ tab at a restaurant or buy them ice cream. “I want my daughter to see me interacting with police that way so she doesn’t grow up with the same burden that I

carry when it comes to interacting with law enforcement,” he said.

He continued, “And I want the police officers to see me, a black man, and understand that I support you, I will defend you, and I will care for you. That doesn’t mean that I do not fear you. That doesn’t mean that if you approach me, I will not immediately have a visceral reaction and start worrying for my personal safety. But I’ll control that the best I can, and not let that impact how I deal with law enforcement.”

[image via screengrab]

Tags: Black Lives Matter, Dallas, Dallas shooting