‘You have to speak up.’ Parkland families continue push for change, accountability
The last time Debbi Hixon’s kitchen was redone, 15 years ago, her husband, Chris, did the work with his friend. So when the interior designers showed up, she was nervous.
“I was afraid we’d lose Chris in that change,” she said.
Hixon, whose husband, Chris, was the athletic director for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and one of the victims of the Valentine’s Day shooting in 2018, was recently the subject of a new TV makeover show, “Military Makeover with Montel Williams.” She was happy to welcome “a little light in the darkness” of her life, but she worried that the changes to the home where she grew up and raised a family would be too much.
When the big reveal finally came, she was relieved. There was an iron memorial outside by the pool with his name on it. An oil painting in his image. Two walls of photos, framed mementos and memories focused on her late husband, who died trying to confront the gunman who killed 17 and wounded more than a dozen other people.
“Everywhere there’s a little bit of Chris,” she said, running her fingers along one of the many framed pictures of Chris in the house.
Now Hixon’s home looks like her life feels — forever marked by what happened to her husband. Since the tragedy, she and other Parkland families have channeled their pain into activism.
Still pushing for change
It’s two years post-Parkland, and the families of the victims are still pushing for change, even as their spotlight dims in light of a seemingly endless lineup of mass shootings and new political battles.
“Next year there will be less and less questions. And at the five-year anniversary people aren’t even going to remember their names,” said Hixon, a teacher in Broward County for more than 30 years.
For most, the death of a loved one is a personal tragedy. For the Parkland families, it’s very public and something they share with the world.
The publicity around the anniversary of their deaths complicates an already painful experience. And the demanding schedule of memorials and events can be exhausting.
But it can also be comforting, they say. The support from around the world, and the regular events within the community, are all reminders that the legacy of their loved ones lives on. Plus, they have a platform to champion solutions and try to prevent future tragedies.
“You get a voice that’s louder than the voice you had before,” she said. “That short window of time where people hear what you have to say — you have to speak up.”
And they definitely spoke up.
After the Valentine’s Day shooting in 2018, the initial surge of emotional activism from students who survived the tragedy captivated the nation. They formed March For Our Lives and filled the streets of Washington, D.C., with thousands of passionate teenagers and adults rallying for gun control and safe schools. The parents and spouses of the victims formed their own group, Stand With Parkland.
A political win
The first victory, the Florida Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, was a surprising bipartisan compromise. But soon after, it became clear that although the families were united in tragedy, they had different visions for how to avoid another one.
Some, like Manuel Oliver, father of Joaquin “Guac,” saw gun control as the path forward. He’s working with Ban Assault Weapons Now in an effort to pass a constitutional ban on military-grade assault weapons, like the AR-15 the shooter used that day.
Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime was killed, was tossed out of the State of the Union speech earlier this month after shouting at President Donald Trump over his comments on protecting Second Amendment rights. Guttenberg dove into political activism after his daughter’s death, and is currently urging lawmakers to support “Jaime’s law,” which would require background checks on bullet purchases.
Others, like Andrew Pollack, father of Meadow Pollack, advocates for safer schools. He raised money to offer grants to schools, places of worship and police stations for technology that allows police officers to remotely view classrooms, lock and unlock doors and speak through the public address system to potential attackers. He said Coral Springs is the first beneficiary.
He’s also suing the federal government because “the FBI failed to take any action whatsoever” on the tips it received about the Parkland shooter beforehand. This is Pollack’s second lawsuit related to the shooting. The first accuses former school resource officer Scot Peterson of leading to Meadow’s death by hiding during the attack.
“Everything I do is to hold people accountable and to make a change so it doesn’t happen again,” he said. “Anyone that failed my daughter, I’m going to expose them and hold them accountable.”
In the years since the tragedy, Pollack said he’s been heartened to see Broward County’s sheriff removed, deputies fired, Peterson brought up on felony charges and a wave of school safety measures and bills enacted across the nation.
He pointed to the work other Parkland parents have done, like Max Schachter through Safe Schools for Alex, the nonprofit he organized after his son was killed, and Ryan Petty, who was recently appointed to Florida’s State Board of Education. His daughter Alaina was killed.
Lori Alhadeff, who lost her 14-year-old daughter Alyssa, won a seat on the Broward County School Board. Debbi Hixon is running for another school board seat in this year’s election.
“I like seeing what they’re getting done and seeing their progress,” Pollack said. “When you put it all together you’re saving lives.”
Parkland’s day of service and love
The city of Parkland will observe a Day of Service and Love by hosting a community commemoration to honor the 17 victims and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Community.
▪ Friday, Feb. 14, 1-8 p.m.
▪ Pine Trails Park, 10559 Trails End, Parkland, FL 33076
▪ Moment of silence at 2:21 p.m.
▪ Commemoration ceremony at the amphitheater, 5-5:30 p.m.
This story was originally published February 14, 2020 at 6:00 AM.