A man whose child was killed in the 2018 Parkland high school shooting on Monday climbed a construction crane in Washington, D.C., to protest a lack of action on gun violence.
Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son, Joaquin Oliver, died four years ago during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, released a video from on top of the 150-foot crane, which was located near the White House, with a poster directed at President Joe Biden that said: "45K people died from gun violence on your watch."
"I asked for a meeting with Joe Biden a month ago. Never got that meeting. So now I’m back with Joaquin. So the whole world will listen to Joaquin today," Manuel said in the video.
He later said on Twitter that he went to Washington in December and spent three weeks waiting outside the White House for a chance to speak with Biden.
"I was in D.C. on December asking to meet @POTUS," he wrote, adding that his son, who he refers to as "Guac," is with him.
"Today Guac is with me making he's own statement! So the whole nation can judge our reality. 150 feet high in front of the WH. Peaceful action. Police is on the ground!"
ABC affiliate 7News in Washington, D.C., later reported that Oliver and another person were seen climbing down from the crane and were escorted into an ambulance by police officers, who put him in handcuffs. Washington Post D.C. crime reporter Peter Hermann later tweeted that "police say incident is clear with three people in custody, likely to be charged with unlawful entry."
Earlier on Monday, the four-year anniversary of the shooting in Parkland, the White House released a statement mourning the lives lost on that day.
"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. For Parkland, for all those we’ve lost, and for all those left behind, it is time to uphold that solemn obligation," the White House said.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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