Before the news broke that Amber Harris had been killed, a vigil had been planned for Friday night. That vigil turned into a memorial.

If Amber Harris could have seen the people holding hands, encircling the jungle gym at Pulaski Park, and if she could have watched them launch the balloons in her memory, she would probably have only recognized one or two people. The people attending said that's a testament to how Amber's story touched everyone.

Mary Doty says, "She didn't go to the same school as our daughter, but I know it would mean a lot to me if it was our daughter."

Neither Mary nor her 12-year-old daughter Rebecca ever met Amber Harris or the Harris family but neither could bear the thought of staying inside with their grief Friday night.

Rebecca says, "I feel sad, but also a little supportive."

Emotions were strong for those loving strangers who did not know Amber and those who did.

Tyronda Pierce says, "My daughter knew Amber. They went to Beveridge together. She was concerned and wanted to come down here together. She said `mom, they're having something down at the park. I gotta get there.' I told her if this is what you need, we'll get there."

The mourners prayed for Amber's family but they also know that their lives have changed too.

Tyronda Pierce says, "We keep in communication so she feels better. Sometimes she says mom you're just being over protective. But I'm just being a mom."

Pulaski Park, the scene of the memorial, is nowhere near the North Omaha neighborhood where Amber Harris lived and where she was last seen alive.

Organizers from the South Omaha Neighborhood Association and the Burlington Road Neighborhood Association say the part of town doesn't matter. They worked with the Harris family to organize Friday's event.