"It's heavy. Recovery's been uneven," Highland Park shooting survivor, David Sallak said. "Time does heal a little, but being here is particularly heavy."
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One month ago, Sallak and his family were at the epicenter of the shooting and barely escaped the gunfire.
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"The memorial is. It acknowledges the truth of that day. And the truth has a lot of pain," Sallack said. "Letters I've written. The letters and notes left at this memorial have now become a promise.
In between the moments of silence, Highland Park's voice has never been louder.
Before a month ago, Sonya Cohen had last been to the nation's capital as a child.
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Since the shooting, she's traveled there three times, pressing lawmakers to enact a ban on assault-style weapons.
"Where am I now? I think I'm letting my despair turn into anger," Cohen said. "I'm using that anger to do what needs to be done. We deserve a strong response from the government."
The family of Nicholas Toledo-Zaragoza, one of the seven lives lost in the shooting, mourned in private on the anniversary, but not alone.
"It's a right and a privilege to carry the stories of those families there and honor them with action," said Sallak.
One month later, the wounds have become a scar that survivors like David Sallak say will never go away.
"We will heal," Sallak said. "But we're all different now."