Parkland parents go on bus tour in honor of slain son’s 23rd birthday

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WFOR) - Two parkland parents are taking their fight against gun violence on the road driving their so-called activism school bus to cities all across the country.

Manny and Patricia Oliver’s son Joaquin was one of the 17 killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School five years ago.

The trip is in celebration of what would have been Joaquin’s 23rd birthday.

With a kiss and a fistbump, The Olivers boarded their yellow school bus for a trip across the country to raise awareness about gun violence.

“I lost my son here, right here,” said Manny Oliver, pointing to the high school. “He was shot four times with an AR-15 five years ago. And five years later, things got worse. Joaquin was shot 250,000 victims ago.”

“This is a project full of love, and it really means love,” said Patricia Oliver.

The Olivers will drive their bus to Orlando, scene of the Pulse massacre, and Uvalde, Texas, where schoolchildren were gunned down in their classroom.

They’ll also travel to Columbine, Colorado; Nashville, Tennessee; and Sandy Hook, Connecticut, some of the 23 stops to spread the word about gun violence and to honor their son Joaquin.

“Joaquin should have turned 23 years old,” Manny Oliver said. “You know what, I like to celebrate Joaquin’s life. I spend all year fighting because my son was shot. Today I celebrate because my son was born.”

Before leaving, the Olivers and other gun violence activists gathered outside the school, where a garden honors their son and the other victims of the mass shooting.

“We have become complacent. We have become desensitized,” said Cameron Kasky, a Parkland shooting survivor. “We see this all the time, and therefore it isn’t the same tragedy that we once knew it as because we have taught ourselves that it’s normal. It’s not normal. Nothing about this is normal. The fact that any of us is standing here is not normal. There should be marching band practice going on behind us. Instead we are standing here talking about mass shootings. It’s because we live in America, which is where you do that.”

Each tour stop will include events, rallies and gatherings.

Manny Oliver said he believes if more people speak out the activism will make a difference, but not overnight.