Three people were led away in handcuffs Monday morning after climbing a crane near the White House. One of them was the father of a victim killed during the school shooting in Parkland, Florida four years ago.
For several hours during the morning commute, Manuel Oliver hung a banner from a construction crane on 15th Street NW and New York Avenue. It was aimed at President Joe Biden and read, “45K people died from gun violence on your watch.”
It also showed a picture of his son Joaquin Oliver who was one of the 17 people killed during the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
In a video posted on Manuel Oliver’s Twitter account, he said, “So the whole world will listen to Joaquin today.”
Happy valentines pic.twitter.com/Ho6zvjjA7o
— Manuel Oliver (@manueloliver00) February 14, 2022
He also stated that he requested a meeting with President Biden in December, but has not gotten a response.
Biden said in a statement before the planned protest that the movement to end gun violence is “extraordinary.”
“We can never bring back those we’ve lost. But we can come together to fulfill the first responsibility of our government and our democracy: to keep each other safe,” he said. “For Parkland, for all those we’ve lost, and for all those left behind, it is time to uphold that solemn obligation.”
David Hogg, who was a student of the high school during the shooting, and has since become an activist was on the ground in support of Oliver.
“We’re out here because, frankly, it’s been four years since the shooting happened in my high school in Parkland, Florida. And I believe — as I know, Manuel Oliver, the man that was just up on that crane believes — that no American should have to live in fear of gun violence,” Hogg told WTOP.
Hogg did not climb the crane, but said he knew Oliver he was up to something when he did not show up for an appearance on CNN on Monday morning with Hogg.
“I’ve talked to hardcore Republicans, liberal democrats, people everywhere in between and across the country, and I have not heard a single person that doesn’t agree with me that we need to end gun violence,” continued Hogg.
“We need our politicians to reflect that and realize that Americans actually agree on this. You know, most gun owners agree on something like universal background checks,” he added. “Most people agree that we need to address why people feel the need to pick up a gun in the first place.”
Gun rights activists argue that restrictions on firearms can target law-abiding citizens and places with more restrictions are still seeing sky rocketing gun crime.
“But I would say there are far more gun owners like my father and others who understand that gun ownership is something that comes with a societal responsibility,” said Hogg.
Hogg says more protests are planned in the coming weeks leading up to the president’s State of the Union address and the anniversary of the March For Our Lives, which is March 24.
