Creative agencies have worked with Change the Ref for years on campaigns to fight gun violence. Now, Zulu Alpha Kilo is helping the group move beyond creative work and into the courtroom—initiating a human rights lawsuit against the U.S. in the name of slain Parkland, Florida teenager Joaquin Oliver.

The lawsuit, Joaquin Oliver v. USA, is being filed today with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an independent legal body of the Organization of American States. It seeks a court ruling that U.S. gun policy violates basic human rights, including Oliver’s right to life. Oliver was among 17 killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting in 2018.

It was filed in Oliver’s name by gun violence prevention lawyer Jonathan Lowy, president of Global Action on Gun Violence (GAGV), and Arturo Carrillo, director of the George Washington University Law School’s Civil and Human Rights Clinic, who represents the Olivers.

Change the Ref co-founder Manuel Oliver, father of Joaquin, told Ad Age on Thursday that he’s been happy with the campaigns from his agency partners—including memorable work such as “The Lost Class” from Leo Burnett—but that creativity without effectiveness simply isn’t enough.

“We have tried pretty much everything,” he said. “We’ve done real activations, and I’ve always said creatives at ad agencies are the perfect tool to send the right message. But this time, it’s beyond a campaign. This is a legit action, by the book, different than any action we’ve done before.” 

While centered around a legal motion—which has been dubbed “The Lawsuit for Survival”—the effort does include some traditional creative campaign elements, including the 90-second video below, directed by Nadav Kander of Chelsea Pictures.

In the film, survivors of gun violence talk about the basic human right not to be shot. They also list the various places in America where that right is currently not being protected—including schools, nightclubs and, in a reference to last month’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, bowling alleys.

The effort is a collaboration between Zulu Alpha Kilo’s New York and Canada offices. Tim Gordon, chief creative officer of Zulu Alpha Kilo New York, said while this is not a creative campaign at its core, it does represent an evolution of creative thinking on the issue.

“I’m in awe of a lot of the work that’s been done in this space, and Manny has been part of a lot of it,” he said. “I think every creative tries to think about ways to make a difference on this. To me, doing this by the book, as Manny said, through the legal system, is the most creative way to try to fuck something up that just refuses to be influenced.”

The Olivers have gone beyond creative campaigns before, trying to influence policy by meeting with politicians. They’ve also disrupted hearings—Manuel was pinned to the floor and arrested during a heated House hearing on gun laws in March. But so far, nothing has changed—so it was time to escalate the tactics, Oliver said.

“We went to members of Congress. We went to the White House. We did try to grab their attention, and we were ignored,” he said. “So what do you do when you’re ignored? What do you do when Joaquin is ignored? We go after you. You’re all guilty. No one gives a shit [about changing policy], so Joaquin is going to go after you.” 

The lawsuit argues that U.S. gun policies and the Second Amendment are inconsistent with the fundamental human right to live that the U.S. is required by international law to respect. It further argues that Inter-American human rights law requires the U.S. to prevent firearms manufacturers, distributors and dealers from making and selling guns in ways that cause deaths and injuries.

“We are filing this lawsuit to force the United States to meet its obligations under human rights law, protect people’s right to live, and stop prioritizing gun industry profits over human rights,” said Lowy of GAGV. “The U.S. is causing a global crisis that will not be resolved until the government recognizes its obligations to take common-sense actions that protect people from gun violence.”

The effort will be supported by print ads in the Washington Post and social content. It’s rolling out this week as a symbolic nod to the original Armistice Day on Nov. 11, now known as Veterans Day, which marked the end of World War I in 1918.

“The United States, as a nation, as a government, has agreements—international agreements—for protecting citizens. They’re not following those agreements,” Oliver said. “We have tried to call them out, but me and Patricia, we’re just two people in this sea of tragedy. International leaders have broken the rules, and we need to call them out. There are consequences. You cannot get away with it.”