Wynwood mural depicting MSD victim brings social reform to colorful walls

MIAMI – A mural was unveiled Monday morning in Wynwood in honor of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victim Joaquin Oliver.

Several parents of victims from the Feb. 14 massacre, which took 17 lives, were at the unveiling with the same message: "We demand change through voting."

The newest addition to Wynwood is bringing social reform to the colorful walls.

Several familiar faces of social leaders are depicted, and then there's the face of Joaquin.  

"We are sad, we are angry, but we are together and we are gonna keep this fight for the rest of our lives," Joaquin's father, Manuel Oliver, said. 

The mural now lives on the corner of 23rd Street and First Place, a space offered by former Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine.

"We need to fight gun violence and prevent other families from going what we went through," Manuel Oliver said. 

On Monday, Manuel and Patricia Oliver, the parents of Joaquin, along with the parents of Jaime Guttenberg and Nicholas Dworet, stood together, expressing the importance of voting ahead of midterm elections. 

"The reason Feb. 14 happened is because this state under this current governor had the worst gun laws in the country, and that is unacceptable," Jaime's father, Fred Guttenberg, said. 

The mural was created by Up Art Studio, whose artists said they worked with Joaquin's parents to depict the past, present and future of social justice -- specifically involving gun reform.

"These iconic people are pretty much who Joaquin would have chosen to follow him in this fight," Manuel Oliver said.