‘Her story needs to be told’: A renovated garden in Centennial Park remembers children who died by violence

Since 1996, a small corner of Centennial Park has memorialized children who died from violence. This week, the renovated Children’s Memory Garden will be unveiled.

Some of the names being added to the garden are children who died of accidental overdoses. 3-year-old Paris Clark-Wilcox is one of them.

At her home in Clarksville, Paris’ grandmother, Enid Price, cradles a small pair of shoes in her palm.

“These are her first shoes right here,” Enid says. “And this is her favorite candy, and that’s her sock.”

Little altars to Paris are everywhere. Photos of her hang on the walls, clutter the tables.

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A few pairs of Paris’ shoes and photos of her are on a table at her grandmother’s house.

Even a locket hanging around Enid’s neck shows Paris as a baby — cherubic cheeks and big, bright eyes.

“She stopped traffic. Just to see her and talk to her,” she says, laughing. “She looked like a little doll, and she was lovable. She loved everybody. And everybody loved her.”

Enid had a very close relationship with her daughter, Prestina Clark-Wilcox, and granddaughter, Paris.

They spent a lot of time together. She says she never missed a day seeing Paris. That was, in part, because Enid knew her daughter was struggling with addiction.

“I fought to keep Paris with me as much as possible,” Enid says. “I did everything I could do as a grandmother — what I’m allowed to do as a grandmother. But … she had a mother that didn’t want to give me custody. She loved her daughter.”

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Enid Price holds her locket, which has a photo of her granddaughter, Paris.

Enid scrolls through family videos on her phone, showing Prestina with Paris, telling her she loved her and how beautiful she is. In one, Paris wears new shoes and an easter dress.

“Things just happen, you know, overnight,” Enid says. “That’s exactly what happened. I dropped her off that night, and she died that morning.”

Paris died of an accidental overdose. She found fentanyl in her mom’s house, and she was found unresponsive. Prestina is in prison, serving time for Paris’ death.

“Talking about our situation is heartbreaking. It brings it back up again. You relive it,” Enid says. “But at the same time, you do want to bring awareness.”

She smiles down at a photo of Paris, sitting in the grass in a pink tutu.

“She was amazing to me, and she needs to be seen. And this needs to be heard,” she says. “Her story needs to be told.”

Paris’ story, and other children’s stories, will be memorialized in the Children’s Memory Garden in Centennial Park.

Listen to an extended interview with Enid Price and other families who have their children memorialized at the garden on Wednesday’s episode of This Is Nashville.