Last year, two boys were killed on Park Street in Syracuse within months of each other. Now relatives and the community are working to turn the tragedy into something positive.

"It's somewhere we can remember him, other than where he was buried," said James Springer III's mother, Wendy Voiles. 

Springer, 12, and Antonio Gullato, 16, were both gunned down at the park on the corner of Park and John Streets last year. Their families came together on Saturday to help rebuild the memories that linger at the site. 

"I just want to make sure that his memory pushes on until the day I die," Antonio's mother, Christena Hutchcraft said. "It's really an emotional thing."

Family members planted two trees and placed flowers and a cross next to them. 

"In all retrospect, it should be a place of peace, everyone should move on," Voiles said. "I know you can't ever delete the violence, but maybe not so much. That's not what he'd want. He'd want someone to remember him without all the violence."

The boys' parents hope people see the garden and remember the positive impact they left behind.

"I feel proud to be his mom for the 16 years that I had him," Hutchcraft said.