The Yonkers community came together Wednesday to remember 10 students in the district whose lives were lost too soon.

School officials, local leaders and grief-stricken parents gathered in the gym of Roosevelt High School for the solemn memorial ceremony.

Ten empty white chairs in front symbolized the young lives cut short.

Among them were four teens who died in a car crash in Yonkers just days before Christmas last year

Tamari Watkins Sr.'s son was one of those killed.

"Ten young lives lost. It was just heartbreaking. Again, I tried to hold it together, but it's rough," he says.

The family of Marilyn Cotto Montanez was at the event. Gun violence her life back in 2019 after she was caught in the crossfire of bullets.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Quezada is calling on elected leaders to do more to help young people in urban communities.

“Black and brown young people are just dying, are they just going to be forgotten, or are we going to fight for keeping them safe,” he asks.

The ceremony also focused on how the community can help young people grappling with substance abuse, mental health and gun violence issues.