February 26, 2004

 

EDITORIAL

Taking stock of a traumatic week

One mystery ended last week, and another began, as law enforcement officials discovered the remains of Tim Lopez, who had been missing for two years, and charged his former Yellow Springs High School classmate Michael Rittenhouse with his murder.

It’s unclear why Tim was killed, but the answers to that mystery will likely be revealed over time. What is clear, a week after the investigation into Tim’s disappearance took a dramatic turn, is that this community, its adults and youth, is mourning the loss of one young person, and the potential loss of another. We must remember that two families are suffering now.

You could almost feel Yellow Springs aching, as reflected in the quiet, somber way villagers conducted their business and ran errands over the last week. People seemed to be numb as they tried to make sense of the news of Tim Lopez’s death. One restaurateur, for instance, noted that his customers were quieter than usual, whispering at their tables as they dined. Many are questioning how such a tragedy could have happened, wondering, did we miss something? Did we fail these young people? Rumors swirled, making it sometimes difficult to separate fact from speculation, as the news media descended on Yellow Springs in pursuit of community reaction and the latest developments.

Though hearts were heavy, people also came together. You could see that in the way that Yellow Springers, including many high school students, watched, as if in vigil, as law enforcement officials searched for Tim Lopez in the backyard of Michael Rittenhouse’s Allen Street resident on Wednesday and Thursday nights. You saw it in the way at least 100 people attended a community gathering at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship to reflect on this tragedy. You can notice it in the way people are leaving flowers, one or two at a time, in front of a makeshift memorial garden on downtown Xenia Avenue. You may have encountered this feeling during Monday’s youth forum at Yellow Springs High School, as adults and teens discussed how the village could better support its youth. You may experience it if you attend the community memorial service for Tim on Sunday, Feb. 29, at the First Presbyterian Church.

This story is not just about two classmates from Yellow Springs High School. It is a community tragedy, one that affects every person who lives here, parents, active community members and students. How Yellow Springs responds to this challenge will say much about our community: the way the village will support the families of Tim Lopez and Michael Rittenhouse; how students and young adults respond to the case; and the way in which adults try to understand what it means to be a young person in Yellow Springs today.

—Robert Mihalek