A deadly shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday reignited grief and frustration among Parkland survivors and families, many of whom have spent years advocating for gun reform since the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
They’re asking: When is enough, enough?
“It’s sad that we keep doing and trying to do things to get things done, and then suddenly it’s a few steps backwards. So today is a very sad day,” said Manuel Oliver, father of Joaquin Oliver.
Father honors son through art
Oliver was traveling to Los Angeles on Wednesday to perform in a play called “Guac,” created in memory of his son Joaquin, who was killed in the Parkland shooting seven years ago.
During his drive west, news broke of another school shooting—this time in Minneapolis.
“You don’t need 350,000 victims like the ones that came after Joaquin was shot. Two kids. One kid. One life is enough for a whole nation to turn around. Fix things and then we can be very proud to call ourselves American,” Oliver said.
Survivors call out inaction
Sharing his sentiment is March for Our Lives co-founder and MSD survivor Jaclyn Corin.
“All of these kids today, their safe bubble, their understanding of the world, their innocence has been lost. And now they’re going to grow up with the PTSD I live with and so many other young people live with around this country,” Corin said.
Officials respond with statements
Archbishop of Miami Thomas Wenski posted a statement saying in part:
“The safety of our children is always a top priority in all of our Catholic schools, with numerous safety procedures in place.”
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz also released a statement condemning the actions at Annunciation Catholic School, saying, “As a precautionary measure, I have increased patrols at places of worship through our county.”
Advocates demand real change
While safety measures are being ramped up, Oliver and Corin believe now is the time to end the crisis of mass shootings.
“It is the lack of action by our elected officials who can take steps to make our community safer, can take steps to make our schools safer and yet choose not to,” Corin said.
“If you really want to be the president that really made a difference, this is the issue! This is the issue that no president in history has been able to fix,” Oliver said.
