A Soldier's Silent Protest

The 100 degree temperature in Salt Lake City set a record for the day, but that didn't stop this wounded Marine from standing for three hours in silent protest in his dress blues at the State Capitol. 

From https://www.ksl.com/article/46761694/protests-remain-peaceful-following-...

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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.”