A mile-long procession made up of yellow buses that are empty of treasures left behind by children who have been killed in school shootings and their families marched past Ted Cruz’s Texas home on Thursday.
The 52 childless school buses would normally hold 4,368 kids, the same number of young lives lost to gun violence in America since 2020.
The convoy was named “The NRA Children’s Museum”It was covered in black funeral bunting. Change the Ref, a gun control advocacy group, held the latest protest against school shootings.
The organization was founded by Manuel Oliver, who interrupted President Joe Biden earlier this week during a speech on gun control, and his wife, Patricia. Joaquin Oliver, their son, was among 17 victims of the Parkland school massacre in 2018.
Beloved belongings of young murder victims were found in the first bus.
A black-and-white checkered pair of well-worn sneakers from 15-year-old Gracie Muehlberger, mowed down by a fellow student at a California high school in 2019.
A kindergarten graduation card sporting a smiling teddy bear and a threadbare set of tiny red mittens from Chase Kowalski; who was 7 when he was shot to death in the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass murder of 2012.
And a LeBron James Miami Heat jersey adored by Joaquin Oliver.
His father, riding in the bus, stopped and got out at Cruz’s Houston home, where he hand-delivered a letter written to gunowners by his son.
It was dated February 12, 2013, five years prior to Valentine’s Day 2018, when he was gunned to death.
“Most of you have a problem with the idea of a universal back round (sic) check. Why are you mad that there’s a back round (sic]) check it’s for your own good maybe you are fond of having crazy people with death machines,”Joaquin wrote. He was 12 years of age.
His father’s group stated that politicians are part of the problem with gun violence. This refers to Texas senators who received over $14 million in contributions by the gun lobby.OpenSecrets.
“This is only the beginning,”Oliver said. “We will not stop with Sen. Ted Cruz. To every politician who has stood by, taken NRA money, and refused to listen to the people they represent: the museum is on the way to honor you next.”
Cruz didn’t publicly acknowledge Thursday’s event.
The senator posted a tweet video on Friday in which he said that children were being attacked at the U.S.-Mexico border.