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Dr. Brian Williams, an emergency room surgeon who attended to many of the police officers critically and fatally wounded by Micah Johnson during a protest in Dallas last week, recently spoke out during a press conference about his experiences on that fateful night.

Surprisingly, Dr. Williams expressed a sentiment that many Americans did not expect to hear coming from an African-American physician.

Williams told reporters, “I stand with the Dallas Police Department, I stand with law enforcement all over this country…I understand the anger and the frustration and distrust of law enforcement, but they are not the problem. The problem is the lack of open discussions about the impact of race relations in this country.”

Dr. Williams also addressed his reality of being a Black man in America and said, “I want the Dallas 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.”

During NewsOne Now’s “Black and Blue America: The Race Crisis” special, Roland Martin spoke with Texas State Senator Royce West about Dr. Williams’ comments and the dichotomy of race in the nation.

Sen. West told Martin, “What has been occurring over this country over the last couple of weeks are stories by African-American men to one another about incidents that they have been involved in with police officers – some good, some bad.”

Royce went on to detail conversations he had with Latinos who, while paying their respects to the fallen Dallas police officers, shared their own stories of being stopped by law enforcement.

Watch Roland Martin and Royce West discuss Dr. Williams’ remarks in the video clip above.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

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