Dallas – When officers who’d been shot by a sniper in downtown Dallas started showing up at Parkland Memorial Hospital, trauma surgeon Dr. Brian H. Williams went to work, pushing aside the inner conflict he faces every day as a black man who’s careful when encountering police.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The emotional toll remained evident days later. His voice quivering, Williams expressed regret Monday that he was unable to save all who were brought through the storied hospital’s doors — and gave voice to the intense racial turmoil roiling the country.
“I understand the anger and the frustration and distrust of law enforcement. But they’re not the problem,” Williams said at a news conference with other surgeons and a trauma treatment team. “The problem is the lack of open discussions about the impact of race relations in this country.”
A 25-year-old black man fatally shot five officers Thursday, attacking a protest where hundreds were gathered to protest recent fatal police shootings. An additional nine officers and two civilians were injured.
At a news conference, Williams and his colleagues sought to convey what they encountered that night and how they’re relying on the bond they have with each other to deal with the emotional aftermath of what is the deadliest attack on police since 9/11.
For Williams, the scars were profound.
“It’s not just about that one night. It’s about the racial undertones that affect all of this,” said Williams, a former aeronautical engineer who served in the Air Force, graduated from University of South Florida in 200 and did his residency in general surgery at Harvard and his fellowship in trauma care at Emory University in Atlanta. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about that. But right now it’s certainly a struggle.”
As a black man in America, he said, he faces a dichotomy of standing with law enforcement — one of his colleagues is a doctor who is also a police officer — but also feeling angst and fear any time he passes a police officer. He described taking steps to bridge the racial divide, such as picking up the tab at a restaurant whenever he sees an officer grabbing a meal and trying to instill greater comfort in his young daughter about dealing with police.
“I want my daughter to see me interacting with police in that way so she doesn’t grow up with the same burden,” Williams said. He also said he wants police to see a black man showing support.
Still, he said, “That doesn’t mean that I don’t fear you. That doesn’t mean that when you approach me I won’t have a visceral reaction and immediately fear for my safety.”
What’s the big deal?
Jewish doctors in Israel are always saving Arab lives, including terrorists whose mission in life is to kill Jews and eliminate the State of Israel.
Right or wrong? I don’t know, but that is how we Jews act.
Yo, Dr. Williams! You took the Hippocratic Oath when you became a doctor, so shut up and do your job.
Disgusting article. Imagine a Jewish Doctor said this regarding an Arab patient, the liberal media would be all over this story.
I think that this was a very good article; even Black Congressmen have stated that when they go back to their districts, and are driving, they are harassed by police. Even Black cops will harass other black drivers. As a Jew, I’ve been followed by cops (although not stopped), just for the heck of it, to see if I will speed up. Even after they have verified that my registration plates are current, they will still follow the car. I’ve noticed that cops will also do this out of state, when they see an out of state plate. If someone has done something wrong, they should be given a ticket. However, if they are not breaking the law, following them for miles, to harass and intimidate them, in the hope that they will speed up, make an illegal turn, etc., is wrong! Yet, it goes on every day in the good old USA.