Public Declarations: Houston Anti-Gun Protests Following the Uvalde, Texas Massacre

On May 24, 2022, Uvalde, Texas became another American city to experience a mass shooting at a school--21 dead. The NRA's annual convention, with "14 Acres of Guns and Gear," was scheduled to open two days later in Houston. I decided to head there to photograph the conjunction of the NRA convention and what I expected to be large counter-demonstrations. I was right: there were plenty of protesters, and a large Friday afternoon rally in Discovery Green, a public park across from the convention center. I spent three days capturing images, which included speakers, police, adults with colorful signs, NRA members, and some Proud Boys. When I reviewed the images and thought about my experience, I was struck by the children that accompanied the adults protesting gun violence. Most would have liked to have been anywhere else, at least that is how I read the often fearful expressions on their faces. They were compliant, but hesitant when given orders. In one instance, I overheard a speaker ask an organizer to position a child next to the speaker, as if the kid was a prop. There was no interaction with the child. Over the weekend, the only happy kids I saw were the ones running through a fountain on a hot Saturday afternoon in another part of the park. For me, the weekend raised a difficult question: What will be the effect on the young children who participated in the Houston protests, particularly those who served as proxies for the children murdered at Uvalde.