Community members gathered to honor and remember Melissa Ortega, who has become a symbol of peace in the SW Side community.
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They held a prayer service and vigil to honor the young girl, who was killed by a stray bullet.
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"We're sad because we remember Melissa Ortega. I hope we didn't have to remember her but we do because we lost her a year ago here on this street," said Little Village resident Selene Partida.
They vow to never forget the day a mother and her daughter were forced to duck from gunfire erupting around them as they were walking home on the sidewalk.
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"What's really sad is the mom and her just moved here from Mexico. They were just walking across the street. She was holding her daughters hand, coming to the bank, trying to go get a cheeseburger at McDonald's," said Mural Movement founder Delilah Martinez.
The community marched down 26th Street, from Pulaski to Keeler Avenue, where a mural of the 8-year-old now decorates the neighborhood.
RELATED: Little Village mural honors girl, 8, killed by stray bullet in January during gang shooting
They prayed at the corner together as they laid flowers and candles next to her image, which serves as a reminder of the effects of gun violence and the innocent, young victims it rips from communities.
"Here we have an 8-year-old victim and the aggressor is 16-years-old. Just eight years apart. So definitely, we have a problem here," said Baltazar Enrique, the president of Little Village Community Council.
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The Little Village Community Council said children deserve to live in a world free from violence. They will not let it run their neighborhoods or their schools any longer.
"They have violence at home, violence in schools, violence in the streets -- the violence is normal now," Enrique said. "The only way I can get a way of relief is by killing that individual. There's no more talking. It's now killing each other."
RELATED: Little Village asks for mental health clinic after girl, 8, killed in rival gang crossfire
There were young children and families who wanted to pause and reflect on what happened one year ago. They are also calling on local politicians and leaders to inject more resources into this community being plagued by violence.