A gun reform “fashion show” yesterday organized by local activists and the parents of one of the 17 people slain last February in Parkland, Fla., featured children of all ages on a catwalk wearing bulletproof vests, gas masks and helmets at City Hall Plaza.
Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin Oliver, who was killed during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, said the event was “an ironic way to explain to people what we’re demanding.”
“The NRA is already hearing me, that’s for sure,” Oliver said. “They’re not saying anything, but I also think they’re losing space in arguments. We’ve been all around the nation. We’ve seen people supporting us and then protesters from the other side, and I can tell you, it’s 10 on our side and one on the other side.”
Children wore uniforms consisting of gas masks, helmets, bulletproof vests, caution tape and shields as event emcee James Hills said things like, “Don’t shoot, I’m just trying to get an education,” into a microphone.
“It was jarring to see kids wearing military gear,” City Councilor Michelle Wu, who attended the event, told the Herald. “Kids shouldn’t live in a reality where they have to confront gun violence. Across the country, we have to vote out the elected officials who are more loyal to gun advocacy organizations than they are to people.”
Last week, Oliver and his wife, Patricia, marched with David Hogg, a Parkland survivor, and other activists for four days and 50 miles from Worcester to Springfield, the headquarters of gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson. They have been active around the nation for Change The Ref, an urban art organization they founded after Joaquin’s death.
“They think we’re going after the Second Amendment; we’re not. That is not the problem,” Oliver
