This story leaves me speechless

An environment for anything from relaxed general discussion topics to intense debates. Just remember to show some respect and keep things on topic.
Post Reply
User avatar
Sterling
Administrator
Posts: 306
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:37 am
Location: Roy's Palace
Contact:

This story leaves me speechless

Post by Sterling »

Richmond High School 15-Year-Old Gang Rape: 5 Arrested; Police Search for Others Involved

But Why Did No One Lift a Finger to Help the Victim?

Public outrage is growing over the 15-year-old girl who was gang-raped in a courtyard outside Richmond High School in California Saturday night. Thus far, according to KGO-TV in San Francisco, five teens have been arrested in the incident and Richmond Police have indicated that as many as ten could be involved directly in the gang rape. As horrendous as the allegations against the young men are, there is an even greater shock in revelation that the multiple raping took place outside, in an open area, with at least a dozen onlookers and an untold number of people passing by. Because the gang rape of the 15-year-old girl outside Richmond High School wasn't just the fevered sexual attacks of young men, it was a time-consuming two-and-a-half-hour ordeal where they beat, brutalized, raped, and even robbed the victim. And not one among them bothered to call the police or inform someone in authority.

Not one.

But they did find time to go in and out of the homecoming dance, according to Melissa McEwan at Shakesville, taking place at the time and inform others, who came out and watched and/or participated as well. It was not until after the incident ended, when someone overheard others talking about it, that a phone call was made to Richmond Police that something had occurred.

Police arrived on the scene to find the 15-year-old girl severely incapacitated, having suffered not only from the beatings and rapes, but also from imbibing an excessive amount of alcohol. She was taken to a nearby hospital, treated, and hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries.

A 19-year-old man, Manuel Ortega, was arrested at the scene. He does not attend Richmond High School. He was subsequently charged with assault and rape. A 15-year-old Richmond High School student was also arrested on Monday.

Three others were arrested Tuesday. Salvador Rodriguez, 21, was picked up near his home. A 16-year-old former Richmond High School student was brought in after being arrested in his San Pablo home. A 17-year-old turned himself in after police searched his home.

Police posted a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of those involved in the rapes. Tips are coming in and police are hopeful that they lead to even more arrests.

Richmond Police Lt. Mark Gagan said, "We do not have everybody who is responsible for committing crimes back in that alley. We still have to take more people into custody."

As for those who stood by and watched as the rapes took place? Gagan said, "We do not have the ability to arrest people who witnessed the crime and did nothing. The law can be very rigid. We don't have the authority to make an arrest."

When John King asked clinical psychologist Mary Koss on "Anderson Cooper 360" Tuesday evening how so many could stand by and do nothing, Koss explained that it was what is called the "bystander effect." She said, "It's -- it is really hard to believe how people can stand around and they somehow think that someone else is taking care of it and so nothing ends up getting done."

She added that it was "amazing" that "in this day and age with cell phones and kids sending text messages -- 4,000 of them a month, uploading their own videos -- I just don't understand how people didn't think get out my phone, get some help here."

Steve Perry, CNN's education analyst, said he did not know that those involved and the spectators didn't think of it and chose not to do anything. He likened it to the mob mentality in the Chicago beating death of Derrion Albert and the rationalizations so many used with Chris Brown's assault of his girlfriend, Rihanna. Perry said that things were really bad in our schools and: "It should frighten you. Because children are not connected in a way in which we need them to be. This should not be able to happen at all anywhere on earth."

But it does. And it did. Just outside of a homecoming dance in Richmond, California.

But were these individuals truly disconnected? They seemed to be connected enough to want to watch the "show", some even becoming involved in the "show." Were they part of a psychological phenomenon known as the "bystander effect"? Then how was it that so many of them engaged in the beating, robbery, and raping of the 15-year-old girl, then made the effort to inform others at the homecoming dance? Was it a strange combination of both? Was there just enough indifference to let the rapes go, just enough of a spectacle to draw attention, just enough irresponsibility toward one's fellow person to think that someone else would be more responsible and dial 911? Was there no one that asked themselves what becomes of the person being so brutalized?

Where did all these individuals connected by their complicity in this horrendous act find the distance from the victim?

Has the last couple generations become more and more desensitized to their own humanity that young people will allow such gratuitous violence without lifting a hand to help, a voice to summon aid, or a finger to even anonymously dial 911?

Apparently so...

http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... tml?cat=17
What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons. You're born alone and you die alone and this world just drops a bunch of rules on top of you to make you forget those facts. But I never forget. I'm living like there's no tomorrow, because there isn't one.
User avatar
Brotherman
Moderator
Posts: 963
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:03 pm
Location: Authoritarian States of America

Re: This story leaves me speechless

Post by Brotherman »

*smh* It's seems like kids are getting more insane day by day.... :no:
Jeff
Posts: 300
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:54 pm
Location: Long Island, NY

Re: This story leaves me speechless

Post by Jeff »

That's California!
Image

Banned for life from Shenmue Dojo for being too awesome for the server to handle
User avatar
Riku
Posts: 161
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:49 pm
Location: Kent, England

Re: This story leaves me speechless

Post by Riku »

:(
beedle
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:54 pm

Re: This story leaves me speechless

Post by beedle »

I find this too hard to believe.
User avatar
Ryudo
Posts: 764
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:19 am
Contact:

Re: This story leaves me speechless

Post by Ryudo »

beedle wrote:I find this too hard to believe.
I have to go with Jeff here.
It's sadly not that hard to believe in Cal.
Some of the worst edu in the US and many parts are so run down it's sad to look at.
I have been to a HS football game and the sheer amount of police they had there as basic security had me speechless.
Cal esp right now has so many problems it just may be the worst state to live in the US currently.
:?
User avatar
Vyse Hazuky
Posts: 231
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:00 pm
Contact:

Re: This story leaves me speechless

Post by Vyse Hazuky »

Man, that topic story was fantastic. Someone should write a gonzo piece on it.
User avatar
tao
Moderator
Posts: 486
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:25 am

Re: This story leaves me speechless

Post by tao »

Ryudo wrote:
I have to go with Jeff here.
It's sadly not that hard to believe in Cal.
Some of the worst edu in the US and many parts are so run down it's sad to look at.
I have been to a HS football game and the sheer amount of police they had there as basic security had me speechless.
Cal esp right now has so many problems it just may be the worst state to live in the US currently.
:?
That has absolutely nothing to do with what happened at Richmond. Would a good education and good living standards protect you from apathy? Will they make you a responsible, empathic person? It's not how hard it is to believe, the real matter is: if you saw this happen in front of you, would you believe what your eyes see? Or would you dismiss it as some histrionic act by some stupid kids videotaping for youtube?

Things like this can happen anywhere in any city in any state in any country. It's far more likely to happen in large cities, but you can count on events like this occurring much more often in the future. It's a trend now, that people can't seem to find reality real anymore. I can bet you that there were people who texted, got a response somewhere along the lines of "lol wtf," and summarily dismissed it because the text wasn't taken seriously. Or someone walked by, took a cell phone picture, and walked off to show their friends.

It was homecoming, therefore there should have been cops or faculty or some sort of campus security there to make sure that nothing like this gets started in the first place. Where were they? If this took place for over two hours, some member of the faculty should have found there way to the scene, eventually. I suppose nobody wanted to assume responsibility then. The school is equally to blame for "bystanding," in their case avoiding responsibility. So don't tsk tsk the kids for being stupid-- adults do this too, you know.
AnimeGamer183
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:46 am

Re: This story leaves me speechless

Post by AnimeGamer183 »

IGNANT!

Thats about all that can be said, if you really dont have enough sense to know this is wrong, especially when there is a crowd... well, you have some serious issues, I know the bay area is pretty wild but this is still FAR from normal or a regular case. When you have teenagers commiting adult crimes on each other, it just makes you think what the influence is. Very sad story, I wonder if the girl was a bitch to everyone so they thought she had it coming, or if it was out of spite, or just saw some girl that looked attractive so they had a hay day. Was there ever a point in history when humans were all on the same side?
Hei Long
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:00 pm

Re: This story leaves me speechless

Post by Hei Long »

It reminds me of a tabloid story I heard awhile ago about many drivers who just drove past a severely injured little girl on the roadside.

It's morbidly interesting what was said about the bystander effect, I think the only good from this we can take is to be more vigilant in our own lives and to encourage others around us to do the same.
Post Reply