Taft senior
Derrell Shields
Derrell Shields 18, was a student at Taft High School during AprilÕs riots. Here he is outside of his home in South Fairmount. Photo by Glenn Hartong
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Derrell Shields sits quietly in the Taft High library, surrounded by the ledgers of history. Unfortunately, he has a history the books haven’t covered yet. He knew Timothy Thomas.
‘‘We used to play basketball in Price Hill,’’ says the soft-spoken 18-year-old, who lives in Over-the-Rhine. ‘‘I knew his little brother, but Tim would come play ball with us at Dempsey Park.’’
He was devastated by Mr. Thomas’ death last April 7. After the City Council meeting on April 9, he heard about groups congregating at the police station and went to observe.
‘‘I saw a lot of angry people,’’ he says. His mother warned him, for his safety, not to return to the area.
Has his life changed since April 7? He paused to gather his thoughts: what he knew, what he saw, what he felt.
‘‘It’s changed a little bit. I stay away from places where something could happen. It seems the attitude of the police has changed, like they think twice before shooting now.’’
Mr. Shields will attend Cincinnati State Technical and Community College in the fall to study business. He plans to own his own business and he looks forward to ‘‘a better future.’’
‘‘I’d like adults to encourage the younger generation more,’’ he says. ‘‘Help us understand how to do things right.’
— Shauna Scott Rhone
Faces of Over-the-Rhine
Restaurant owner Paul Sebring
Taft senior Darrel Shields
Social worker Angela Coleman
Sarah Center director Sister Jeanette Buehler
Jordanian grocer Taraq T.A. Adwani
Filmmaker Steve Gebhardt
Gallery owner Suzanna Terril
Beauty shop supplier Chong Kim
Teacher's aide Kemberley Alexander
Waitress Karla Davis
Teacher Sharon Brooks
Dock worker Leo Sneed
Police officer Michael Ammann
Soup kitchen manager Denise McPherson
Artist Joseph M. Winterhalter
Janitor Latrell Walker
Fund-raiser Torren "T.J." Partridge
School social worker Joe Wilmers
Rehabber Greg Badger
Medical student John Eckman
Treatment counselor Calvin W. Wooten
Photographer Jimmy Heath
The Police
Violence up, arrests down
Changes made since April 2001
Q&A with Police Chief Streicher
Q&A with former F.O.P. president Keith Fangman
Neighbor to Neighbor
Community meetings produce results
Going beyond polite silence
What your neighbors said
What do you think?
What's happening in 145 communities
A sampling of communities:
• Mount Healthy
• Pleasant Ridge
• Milford
What institutions are doing
Related Links
Neighbor to Neighbor home page
Matters of Race: Bridging the divide in Greater Cincinnati
On the Same Page Cincinnati
Live Without Hate
Common Ground
Cincinnati 2001: Year of unrest
Unrest in the city: Archive of riot coverage
Unrest photo timeline
Jim Borgman on race
