Parkland Victim's Dad To Paint Anti-Gun Violence Mural In Queens

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- Manuel Oliver knows stirring up emotion is part of his job as a professional artist, but painting his dead son on a wall evokes in him feeling the grieving father can never quite prepared for, no matter how many times he does it.

Oliver's son, Joaquin, was one of 17 students killed in Parkland, Florida when a gunman shot up Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February. The mass shooting prompted a global conversation about gun control, which Oliver and his wife, Patricia, are trying to keep alive through art. The pair launched a nonprofit to honor their son, under which Oliver now travels the country creating anti-gun violence murals. His next stop is Queens.

"Joaquin loved New York," Oliver told Patch. "We were here a couple times, and it was one of our favorite destinations."

This time, the family will be in Jamaica, where Oliver will paint his mural at Roy Wilkins Park on Saturday. Joaquin will be there with them in spirit, as he is during each time the father paints a mural for his "Walls of Demand" project, which is designed to "trigger people to think about gun violence and the need for change."

"I use a lot of graphics of Joaquin," the father said of his murals. "But the themes always change."

So far, Oliver has done eight murals in cities from Miami to Los Angeles. Each typically takes just 40 minutes, because, as he put it: "It's a statement. You don't want to turn it into a whole speech."

Events are often accompanied by a tearful audience, lots of hugs and the occasional protesters citing their second amendment right to own guns, Oliver said.

"This is not about changing the second amendment," he said. "It’s about making sure we use it the right way."

Oliver said last week's mural was especially meaningful, both because it was on Joaquin's birthday and done on a wall in front of the National Rifle Association headquarters in Fairfax Virginia.

"People were singing happy birthday," he recalled. "At some point I hit the wall with a hammer 17 times - one per victim - and I placed sunflowers in each of the holes."

The murals are one of many projects under Change The Ref, which Oliver and his wife launched in honor of their son and his classmates shot an killed by a 19-year-old gunman on Feb. 14. The nonprofit uses urban art to inspire young leaders and "expose the disastrous effects of the mass shooting pandemic," according to its website.

"I found a way to connect with people and in some way give Joaquin a voice, even if he’s not here to do the right thing and share his message around the nation," Oliver said.

Its also helped his grieving family cope with their loss.

"It makes us feel a little less said," Oliver said. "I wouldn't say better, but less sad."

Oliver will start his mural in Roy Wilkins Park - 177th Street and Baisley Boulevard - at noon on Saturday. Once he's finished, attendees are invited to sign their names and leave their own message on the wall.

He declined to go into detail about his plans for the mural, only saying it would be related to transportation and "looking for an express line to change."

As always, Oliver expects a mixed bag of emotions to surface while he works.

"It’s very difficult," he said.

"It’s a combination of being sad, mad and frustrated, but at the same time hoping that things might change."

Read more about the "Walls of Demand" project here.

Lead image courtesy of Change The Ref