A US Marine veteran stood outside for hours in uniform with the words "I can't breathe" taped over his mouth in a striking protest.
These words were spoken by George Floyd, who died on May 25 after being arrested by Minneapolis Police.
Per the Guardian, after reviewing the bodycam footage of Floyd's arrest, state charging documents allege that the now-former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck for a total of nearly nine minutes.
Todd Winn stood alone with the words taped across his mouth at a demonstration at the Utah State Capitol on Friday, and his solo protest was captured by photographer Robin Pendergrast.
In an interview with CBS affiliate KUTV, Winn explained that he taped his mouth to silence the voice he has as a white veteran. As he stood in heat that reached the upper 90s in Salt Lake City, his shoes began to melt, KUTV reports.
Winn said that he had dreamed of being a Marine since he was a child, but his decision was solidified in his final year of high school when the 9/11 attacks took place.
Frankly, I loved being a Marine," he said. "The camaraderie, the brotherhood, it's a connection that unless you've experienced, you can't really understand."
Winn's protest reportedly lasted for a total of three hours, and it also included a sign which called for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice and "countless others".
The veteran explained that his time in the marines helped him to let go of the "small minded" ideas he grew up with.
"You know, until I left home and joined the Marine Corps, I didn't really understand that that was wrong. Until I served with men whose skin was a different color than mine, who were the finest men that I've ever known, help me to learn that really we're all the same," Winn said.
This comes as unrest continues to unfold across the US, as protests - some peaceful, some violent - are calling out the systemic injustices carried out against black people, not least seen by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.
As well as a call for justice, these ongoing protests are also demanding an end to police brutality and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in America and the western world.
The message is simple: Black lives matter.
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