PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — Joaquin “Guac” Oliver died in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, high school massacre, but federal lawmakers who oppose tighter gun regulations began getting phone calls in his voice on Wednesday, lambasting them for their position.

The relatives of Oliver and five additional individuals who lost their lives due to firearms are utilizing advanced technology to generate voice messages in their loved ones’ voices. These messages are then being delivered via robocalls to senators and House members who back the National Rifle Association and reject stricter gun legislation. This demonstration is being coordinated through The Shotline platform, where visitors can choose which offices will receive the calls.

The event began on February 14th as it marks six years since the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. This shooting resulted in the death of 17-year-old Oliver, along with 13 students and three staff members. Oliver was killed while lying wounded on the ground, as the 19-year-old shooter fired his AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, hitting Oliver’s raised hand with a fatal shot.

The parents of Joaquin, Manuel and Patricia Oliver, state that the campaign is centered around the commonly referenced notion that to initiate change in laws, individuals must first contact their elected officials. As immigrants from Venezuela who have obtained U.S. citizenship, they are advocating for the prohibition of firearms such as the AR-15.

“We come from a place where gun violence is a problem, but you will never see a 19-year-old with an AR-15 getting into a school and shooting people,” Manuel Oliver said. “There’s a reason for the gun violence in a Third World country. There’s no reason for the gun violence and the amount of victims in the United States.”

Following the tragic death of Joaquin, the Olivers established Change the Ref, in partnership with March for Our Lives, an organization formed by students from Stoneman Douglas. Together, they engage young individuals through unconventional forms of activism such as AI calls and “die-ins.” These events included a protest inside a supermarket chain that supported a politician affiliated with the NRA.

According to Patricia Oliver, if you continue to stick to traditional methods and constantly listen to the same individuals lecturing you with the same statistics, there will be no progress or change.

The Olivers and other families provided an AI company with audio of their loved ones to create recordings. The AI altered the voices, taking into account suggestions from relatives for changes in pitch and speech pattern.

Joaquin’s AI voice recognizes him and states, “Numerous students and educators were killed on Valentine’s Day…by an individual utilizing an AR-15, yet you are indifferent. You never have been. It has been six years and you have taken no action.”

The statement goes on to say, “I lost my life in Parkland that day. A military-style weapon destroyed my body. I am speaking to you now because my parents have used AI to recreate my voice. Other victims like me will also be using this voice to call for action, repeatedly. How many calls will it take for you to show concern? How many deceased voices will you have to hear before you finally pay attention?”

Attempts to contact the NRA via phone and email for comment went unanswered.

In the year 2020, the Olivers utilized artificial intelligence to produce a video featuring Joaquin advocating for young voters to select candidates who advocate for stricter gun control. Detractors claimed that they were exploiting his death in order to limit the rights of responsible gun owners.

One person commented on YouTube, “It’s like they’re speaking for a deceased child. If my father did this to me, I would haunt him for the rest of his days.”

The Olivers take offense to the implication that they are unaware of Joaquin’s thoughts.

“I am fully aware of my son’s thoughts,” stated Manual Oliver. “Joaquin devoted enough time to expressing his beliefs, values, lifestyle, aspirations, and objectives through his writing on social media.”

Others involved in the new campaign include the families of 23-year-old Akilah Dasilva, one of four people slain during a 2018 shooting at a Waffle House restaurant in Tennessee, and 10-year-old Uziyah Garcia, who died in the 2022 massacre at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. There are also the parents of 15-year-old Ethan Song, who died in an accidental shooting, and a 20-year-old murder victim and the family of a man who committed suicide.

Brett Cross, the guardian of Uziyah, shared that the child had aspirations to become a police officer and help others. In the message from the AI, Uziyah’s own words state that he is a student in the 4th grade at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. However, his life was tragically cut short when a man armed with an AR-15 entered the school, resulting in the deaths of 18 of his fellow students, two teachers, and himself. In a plea to lawmakers, Uziyah’s voice asks, “What will it take for you to take action and prevent violence like this from happening again?”

Cross stated that his family is involved in the event to prevent other children from experiencing what Uzi did and to spare other parents from enduring what they have.

In 2018, Song tragically took his own life at his friend’s residence in Connecticut while they were playing with a handgun. This weapon, along with other firearms owned by the friend’s father, were not properly secured. In response, Mike and Kristin Song have advocated for a federal law that would make it a punishable offense to store guns improperly in households with children.

Kristin Song expressed frustration that even after the tragic accumulation of coffins holding our deceased children, there has been no noticeable change in our cultural mindset. Our plea appears to be disregarded by the majority.

Families who have also experienced the loss of a loved one due to gun violence will have the opportunity to contribute their victim’s recreated voice to the ongoing project.

The Olivers aren’t alone among Stoneman Douglas families in their public advocacy since the massacre, with positions taken on both sides of the gun debate.

While some focus on speaking at rallies, making social media posts, and lobbying, the Olivers, specifically Manuel, take a more confrontational approach by directly challenging opponents and urging allies to be bold. They refer to themselves as “the rebellious faction of the movement against gun violence.”

Manuel Oliver’s rally speeches are often laced with obscenities. He was arrested in 2022 after he climbed a construction crane near the White House, unfurling a banner that demanded President Joe Biden enact stricter gun laws. Months later, he was ejected from a White House event for yelling at the president.

A painter, he created a mural that opposed guns and displayed it across from the NRA’s headquarters in Virginia, while protestors armed with guns watched. He travels around the nation with a solo performance centered around his son’s murder, in which he hammers holes into a life-size portrait of Joaquin, symbolizing the bullets that took his life.

“Irrespective of the outcome, we have nothing left to lose,” stated Manuel Oliver. “Protesting is a regular occurrence for me. What is abnormal is that we are tolerating a society where people are dying.”

Source: wral.com