A Black community organizer who conducted anti-bias training for members of the San Jose Police Department is speaking out after becoming a victim of excessive force by the same department during a protest on May 29.

The victim, identified by CNN as Derrick Sanderlin, could potentially endure lifelong trauma after being struck by a rubber bullet in the groin as he was protesting the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor's killing in Louisville and the countless other Black victims of police brutality. 

"I was holding a lot of tension over the years … trying to hope for something better and trying to fix the system slowly, and that was like someone trying to move a mountain with a shovel," Sanderlin told CNN.

Sanderlin found himself in harm's way after trying to mitigate a situation involving a protester destroying the window of a Ford Mustang with a "Blue Lives Matter" license plate frame. After Sanderlin intervened to ease the tension, ABC 7 News reports he ventured to San Jose City Hall, where he then witnessed officers shooting rubber bullets in close range at young women and other protesters. Despite his attempts to peacefully ask law enforcement to cease shooting, Sanderlin had several bullets shot at him, one hitting him in the groin.

Officer Jared Yuen, who has been accused of excessive violence at protests, has been downgraded to desk duty, and an internal probe is ongoing. As for Sanderlin, the 27-year-old underwent emergency surgery and now fears he and his wife, Cayla, may not be able to have children.

"The doctor had let me know before the operation that there's no way of fully telling until you try to have kids," Derrick explained.  

"And I just started weeping at the thought of that. You know, we, we do want kids and we're very close to having kids," Cayla added.

The couple, who have been married for four years, hired legal representation and will file a grievance against the city of San Jose and the police department.

"I really just couldn't watch it anymore," Derrick said of police violence at the protest he attended. "And just kind of made like a parallel walkover, put my hands up, and just stood in the line of the fire and asked them to please not do this."

"We are profoundly sorry for what happened to Derrick Sanderlin, a member of our community who has worked to help us become better police officers," Tom Saggau, president of the San Jose Police Officer Association, told CNN in a statement. "As a father I am heartbroken at reports that Mr. Sanderlin and his wife are worried they may not be able to have children."

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo echoed Saggau's remarks with comments of his own on Monday. 

"We have much work to do to confront our long and terrible history of police brutality against Black and brown Americans,” Mayor Liccardo said. "Defunding urban police departments won’t help us do it. It is the wrong idea at the worst possible time and the budget released tomorrow will reflect that."