Dallas concert, restaurants promote healing after police ambush

It was a night of healing at the Meyerson Symphony Center in downtown Dallas as a concert was held to honor the Dallas officers killed in last week’s attack.

The Dallas Sings, Dallas Strong concert featured singers from the Dallas Symphony Chorus, the Turtle Creek Chorale, the Women's Chorus of Dallas and more. It’s being billed as a ‘musical response’ to last week's ambush on Dallas officers.

Meanwhile, restaurants across the metroplex are doing their part to help the families of the fallen and the injured.

Dev Engle said he can feel the tension that fell over Dallas ever since shots rang out in the streets of downtown last Thursday.

Local businesses like Fireside Pies are hoping to lift that tension a bit and help with the healing by giving 100 percent of Thursday night’s proceeds to the Assist the Officer Foundation.

Though the ambush was a tragedy, what's happened in the week since has brought out the best in people.

“We do have one gentleman who's out of town, and he called in an order,” said Engle. “It's a 10 pie order he doesn't even want made.”

When Patty Smith heard about what Fireside was doing, she had to come down.

“We have a sense of duty in the city of Dallas to show support for our officers and to begin the process of communicating with all people,” she said. “People who are like us and people that are different from us.”

Other local restaurants like Cowboy Chicken are donating part of their proceeds to help.

While at the Meyerson Symphony Center, more than 650 singers from choirs all over DFW overwhelmed organizers by showing up to the concert.

Dallas strong t-shirts supporting the United Way went fast.

“Violence seems to be at an all-time high,” said Choir Director Jonathan Palant. “And we're here to sing our peace and to show the world, through song, that we can come together as one community.”

Proceeds from the restaurant fundraisers will go to the Assist the Officer Foundation which has already collected more than half a million dollars in donations.

If you missed it, you can donate directly to ATO at atodallas.org.