Earlier Friday, a different kind of protest played out.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Todd Winn stood alone, silent, in front of the Utah State Capitol, hours before the first protesters had begun gathering. Winn stood in uniform, with tape across his mouth reading “I can’t breathe.”
He held a sign reading, “Justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, countless others” and calling for accountability for police.
Winn treated Friday as a day of silence, his girlfriend, Katie Steck, explained to KSL.
“He has been very angered and appalled by the injustices that have been happening,” she said.
Steck explained Winn is a veteran who was medically discharged from the Marines and sustained traumatic brain injuries after he was injured by roadside bombs when he served in Iraq in 2005.
Steck said because of those injuries, he has chronic fatigue, so standing in the heat of the day for three hours outside the Capitol was a big challenge for him, but he wanted to protest in a different way — in a way that maybe would resonate with some who have been angered by the violent protests or looting.
Steck said he wanted to show there’s a way to protest your country but still be patriotic.
“Seeing a lot of things that have happened, that’s not the kind of America he wants,” Steck said, and not the kind of America he’d sacrificed for. “That’s not what he wants to represent.”
Honestly I've been surprised to see this gain so much traction. I just wanted to say a few things regarding what's happened around this, as I'm pretty sure there's no way I will ever be able to read through all the 3000 and counting comments here.
This was not planned in coordination with any group, or intended to espouse any particular political standpoint I recognize there are many active duty and veteran service members who will not be happy that I demonstrated in my dress uniform. I understand and respect these feelings. It was not a decision I made lightly to do this. So if you are a fellow veteran / combat wounded and are upset by this, I want you to know I can completely understand why you might feel that way. We each have to decide for ourselves how to advocate. I deliberately chose to treat this as an extended moment of silence, because the voices of so many non-whites are often not heard. I do not consider this a political issue, I consider it a human issue, and a global one at that. So I chose to deliberately silence my own voice. As some have speculated, I was deployed to Iraq shortly after completing boot camp and infantry training school in 2005. Was wounded twice in the same month, and placed on limited duty for quite some time while attempting to recover but was subsequently sent through the medical discharge process. I had intended to be a career Marine, but now I am a proud life-long member of the Lance Corporal Underground.
Thanks to /u/Stock412 for bringing this post to the attention of so many people, it certainly seems to have sparked a lot of discussion. I hope it will be seen by individuals who would normally tune out the protesters and allow them to-at least for a moment-stop and consider what is really being asked for here. Equality, justice, fairness. The right to assemble. The right to be free from discrimination no matter the color of your skin. The right not to fear the police forces whose duty is to protect and serve communities.
These should not be partisan political issues, but globally valid concerns we all should be willing to support together.
Stock412 on June 6th, 2020 at 22:45 UTC »
http://kutv.com/news/local/utah-marine-stands-alone-at-utah-capitol-with-i-cant-breathe-covering-his-mouth
edit: thanks to u/ThisDerpForSale for another story with more info
nonetheless156 on June 6th, 2020 at 23:36 UTC »
Twice deployed and purple heart? Rah
TRexLovesPancakes on June 7th, 2020 at 03:58 UTC »
Honestly I've been surprised to see this gain so much traction. I just wanted to say a few things regarding what's happened around this, as I'm pretty sure there's no way I will ever be able to read through all the 3000 and counting comments here.
This was not planned in coordination with any group, or intended to espouse any particular political standpoint I recognize there are many active duty and veteran service members who will not be happy that I demonstrated in my dress uniform. I understand and respect these feelings. It was not a decision I made lightly to do this. So if you are a fellow veteran / combat wounded and are upset by this, I want you to know I can completely understand why you might feel that way. We each have to decide for ourselves how to advocate. I deliberately chose to treat this as an extended moment of silence, because the voices of so many non-whites are often not heard. I do not consider this a political issue, I consider it a human issue, and a global one at that. So I chose to deliberately silence my own voice. As some have speculated, I was deployed to Iraq shortly after completing boot camp and infantry training school in 2005. Was wounded twice in the same month, and placed on limited duty for quite some time while attempting to recover but was subsequently sent through the medical discharge process. I had intended to be a career Marine, but now I am a proud life-long member of the Lance Corporal Underground.Thanks to /u/Stock412 for bringing this post to the attention of so many people, it certainly seems to have sparked a lot of discussion. I hope it will be seen by individuals who would normally tune out the protesters and allow them to-at least for a moment-stop and consider what is really being asked for here. Equality, justice, fairness. The right to assemble. The right to be free from discrimination no matter the color of your skin. The right not to fear the police forces whose duty is to protect and serve communities.
These should not be partisan political issues, but globally valid concerns we all should be willing to support together.