Shaq Rodriguez pours a bottle of liquor, as a ritual of respect, on the casket of his friend, Alexis Mercedes, before he is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y., on Nov. 30, 2022. Mercedes, who was 35 years old and a father to four children, was shot and killed on Nov. 19, 2022, at a late-night party. "We always had fun when we were together, sparring, drinking, dancing. "There's something very beautiful about what you see there; that's how we show him respect," says Rodriguez. Keeping Them Alive "Celebrating their life keeps them alive," says Persephone Modeste, a Rochester-based therapist. "Sometimes, the pain bears you down so much that you have to think of something joyful to be able to move on because it can be debilitating." In Rochester, N.Y., friends and family pay tribute to loved ones killed by gun violence through parties, cardboard cutouts, covering a casket in imagery, tire burnouts, music, and apparel. These customs and rituals signify that death is not the end of life for the deceased; they will continue to live on in honorary ways created by those remembering their legacy.