In Highland Park, parents of student killed in Parkland mass shooting share their grief
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (CBS) – On Friday, there was a minute-by-minute reenactment, with live gunfire, inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, five years after a mass shooting there killed 17 people.
Families of some of the victims requested the reenactment as part of a lawsuit against the school's resource officer, who they said failed to act that day.
Parents who lost their son in that tragedy are spreading their message to another community touched by gun violence: Highland Park.
"It's a day that I don't like to allow myself to be sad," said Patricia Oliver.
A mother chooses to feel joy, even if it's just a memory.
"Joaquin was lovely," she said. "Joaquin was funny. Joaquin likes to dance."
Friday would have been Joaquin Oliver's 23rd birthday.
"My son was shot 250,000 victims ago, and nothing has been done," said Manuel Oliver.
Five years ago, a gunman took Joaquin's life and 16 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
"The day that I lost my son, I also lost my best friend," Manuel said.
Manuel and his wife Patricia cannot sit still.
They share the pain with people they met in communities like Highland Park.
"We were not surprised but shocked when we heard the news there was a shooting in Highland Park," Manuel said.
For more than a month, the Olivers have been on the road in a retrofitted school bus. They make stops where gun violence stole lives and left scars.
"During our trip, we've been learning and we've been hearing from other organizations that they are impacted by the impact that we are creating on those visits," said Patricia.
The tour involves activism and art.
"We try to prove unconventional ways of making our point, making a statement, and theater is a great way of doing that," Manuel said.
On Saturday, Manuel will perform a one-man show at the Greenhouse Theater called "Guac: My Son. My Hero." Guac was Joaquin's nickname.
"I do believe that art has a lot of power to communicate with people," he said.
The fight to end gun violence will go on long after their journey ends.
"I do think that we are starting to change," Manuel said. "I like to think that we are the beginning of that change."
After Saturday night's performance, the Olivers will hit the road again. They said they have 20 more day to go.
