This story leaves me speechless
Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:44 pm
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
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