At Woodward High School in Bond Hill Wednesday night, students invited the public to take part in an emergency community dialogue session to discuss ways to address the recent violence that has taken place near the school.
Last week, two students were shot at a bus stop in front of the high school shortly after dismissal. A number of students on their way home witnessed the violent incident and are now calling for change.
In the days following the shooting, Woodward students organized a protest and walkout to bring attention to safety concerns. Now, they're looking for ways to make their school safer. During the community discussion, a group of students presented a list of demands that they say would reduce the risk of students being harmed and make them feel more comfortable in and around the school.
The students pointed to issues with transportation as a major concern. They say students who need to ride Metro buses to get home are often left waiting near a busy intersection for an extended period of time, leaving them vulnerable.
Woodward junior Marcus Simmons says he'd like to see the bus stop moved to a location closer to school where students can be supervised and away from the street. He'd also like to see the process of riding the bus made easier for students.
"At the end of the day, it's very chaotic," he said. "A lot of kids don't know if they want to stay after school and a lot of adults push kids out of the school, and the kids have to cross the street to get to the bus and the kids have to wait for the bus. Sometimes the bus never comes and it's raining. You have to sit outside and wait for the bus or you forget your bus card and the bus driver won't let you on. There's a lot of issues with that. And after school, it's absolutely chaotic and it needs to be changed."
Students also requested additional street signs and speed bumps to slow down traffic in front of the school.
Another topic of discussion was Woodward's image in the media. Students expressed that the school's negative portrayal in the news can make it difficult to be proud of their school and encourages their classmates to not participate in the activities and programs offered at Woodward.
Tayshaun Washington is a senior. He says he's been exposed to violent incidents like the one that happened last week all his life. Washington took an interest in construction, which kept him focused in the classroom and stopped him from getting involved in destructive activities. Now he has his sights set on a career after he finishes high school, but says many of his peers don't have anything that motivates them to come to school every day.
"I'm focused," he said. "I'm not bored in what I do. I chose something I've loved to do since I was young. They just haven't found what they want to do, so they found something else to do to occupy that time."
Some younger students at Woodward are still searching for their passion, but events like the shooting make it hard to stay motivated.
Cheri Phillips is a freshman who says she was there when the shooting happened and is friends with the 16-year-old victim. After the shooting, Woodward closed the following day, and additional security and counselors were brought in to help students cope with what they had witnessed, but Phillips says constantly hearing about school shootings around the country, and seeing a shooting happen in person makes her and others not feel safe.
"I think all kids who attend a public or private school worry about gun safety and all that, but I do believe it's a big issue at Woodward," Phillips said. "It's everywhere. You hear it in the news media, Instagram, Twitter all of that. You hear Nashville, Texas. There should be something to stop gun violence because obviously, it's a big problem."
During the meeting, Cincinnati Police informed those in attendance that three
Organizers of the event at Woodward say they plan to hold another community dialogue on May 25.
