15 year old Richmond (Cali) HS Student gang raped - bystanders ignore.

[legit]

(10-26) 18:40 PDT RICHMOND -- It was a crime shocking not only in its brutality but in its callousness, Richmond police say.

A 15-year-old girl leaving early from the homecoming dance at Richmond High School was enticed into a darkened alley just off campus to hang out with as many as a dozen young men who were drinking.

When the girl joined in and became drunk herself, police say, the men attacked her.

One after another, as many as six men raped the girl, police said Monday. Others watched. For more than two hours, no one tried to stop the attacks, and no one called police.

"What's shocking about it is there were so many people willing to involve themselves in such a serious crime," police Lt. Mark Gagan said.

Equally shocking, he said, was "the number of people who witnessed it and who were in the area of it occurring who did not take steps to stop it, report it or help our victim."

The attack happened Saturday about 9:30 p.m., shortly after the girl left the Richmond High gym where the homecoming dance was still going on.

Police believe she was waiting for her father to pick her up outside the school at 1250 23rd St., in the northern flatlands of Richmond near Doctors Medical Center. Before he got there, however, a friend from school invited the girl to join a group of people hanging out and drinking, Gagan said.

The girl drank a large amount of alcohol before she was sexually assaulted by members of the group, police said.

Around 11 p.m., the dance let out. Marin Trujillo, a spokesman for the West Contra Costa Unified School District, said the four Richmond police officers and three school administrators who supervised the event had helped to clear the campus.

The attack, however, was happening in an out-of-the way alley just north of campus, police said. In the dark, no one saw a thing.

Somehow, rumors about what was happening finally spread to a house party, Gagan said. A person who heard the story called police around midnight, and when officers showed up, they found the girl, semiconscious, curled up near a lunch table.

Running from the scene was Manuel Ortega, 19, who used to attend Richmond High but dropped out in 2007 to attend a vocational training program, authorities said. Officers caught up to him and arrested him on suspicion of rape, kidnapping and robbery - the assailants stole the girl's jewelry, police said.

Ortega was being held at Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez in lieu of $800,000 bail. Police are still looking for the other men who took part in the attack, and have questioned two juveniles, Gagan said.

Richmond High was a shaken school Monday.

"Everybody was distressed," said the school's principal, Julio Franco, whose daughter attended the homecoming dance. "Anybody who needed to be listened to went to speak to counselors."

Richmond may have a reputation for being a rough town, but such an attack on a 15-year-old girl is "not normal at all," Franco said. "We need to let (the girl's schoolmates) grieve."

Although the incident apparently occurred off campus, Franco took the news hard.

"It's one of our students," he said. "I tell them once they leave their house, they are my children."

Cesar Torres, an 18-year-old senior at the school, said, "It's depressing. People nowadays have no shame. All I can say is that I hope they can catch the sick people who did this and hope that no one else gets hurt."

Charles Ramsey, a member of the West Contra Costa school district, said officials intend to install surveillance cameras at the school by next year. Plans to purchase the cameras had been made before Saturday's attack.

"We're moving forward with providing enhanced security," Ramsey said. "We'll redouble our efforts to ensure that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BAG11AAR56.DTL

I can't believe people just ignored what was happening, is rape a part of their normal lives? Disgusting. I suppose with all the people there, everyone expected one another to either do something, or since no one did anything, people didn't feel obligated to step in.

[Rock-a-Lex]

Jesus......I don't even know what to say. God forbid if that was my daughter. I would let the authorities do their thing but I would HAVE to take "certain" things into my own hands; it wouldn't be pretty.

[tromly]

Originally Posted by Rock-a-Lex

Jesus......I don't even know what to say. God forbid if that was my daughter. I would let the authorities do their thing but I would HAVE to take "certain" things into my own hands; it wouldn't be pretty.

+1, you're right, it would be UGLY !!

[lobuxracer]

A 15 year old girl, drunk, in a dark alley surrounded by young men. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. What happened is truly a sad commentary on our society and the animals who attacked this girl deserve what's coming. This is exactly the kind of thing you need to tell you own teenage kids about to help them understand the dangers of underage drinking.

[Turbo_gg]

A sad event highlighting the pathetic morales and values of some members of our society. I look forward to the guilty boys receiving the harshest possible sentence.

[alexulan]

horribly sad story.

For those that are not familiar with the bay area.

Richmond = Not a good neighborhood. Lots of drug and gang violence.

[4TehNguyen]

bystander effect:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect

[TXSTYLE]

Originally Posted by legit

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BAG11AAR56.DTL

I can't believe people just ignored what was happening, is rape a part of their normal lives? Disgusting. I suppose with all the people there, everyone expected one another to either do something, or since no one did anything, people didn't feel obligated to step in.

The perps need to be castrated.
The watchers need Prison Time.

[Rock-a-Lex]

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

The perps need to be castrated.
The watchers need Prison Time.

I agree!

What do the rest of you guys think about this?

Do you think that everyone convicted of RAPE should be castrated?

***Not talking about the type of rape when there is a 19yr old boyfriend and a 17 yr old girlfriend getting it on with consent and parents of the girl find out; different type of rape however still illegal because she is underage; seperate issue.***

Just think if this was an actual LAW. How many scumbags do you think would think twice before they commit a terrible act like this? Answer = alot! Why isn't there a law currently like this? Is it inhumane? Like it isn't inhumane to rape a defenseless female. Who is being "protected" by not having a law like this?

Perhaps there are some (prominent indivduals)that may have sons away at college that could/would parttake in something stupid like this. and godforbid if they should get caught and get castrated...and not carry on the family name. This is the ONLY reason that I could think of as to why this isn;t a law!

[TXSTYLE]

Of course this would significantly reduce if not eliminate this heinous crime! If these sick bastids knew they risked getting their weenis removed... You best believe they'd stick with the Playboy mag and bottle of lube.

[alexulan]

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

Of course this would significantly reduce if not eliminate this heinous crime! If these sick bastids knew they risked getting their weenis removed... You best believe they'd stick with the Playboy mag and bottle of lube.

not to disagree with this and I'm very pro death penalty, not only for murderers but child molesters and rapists too.

for the sake of argument with the above logic how is the murder rate any less in Texas and Cali? vs Hawaii or Iowa

It's not. You commit murder you might get the death penalty. I'm all for that.

I don't think it really deters murder rates though.

You look at states/countries with no death penalty and per capita their murder rate is lower.

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/node/657

The dozen states that have chosen not to enact the death penalty since the Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that it was constitutionally permissible have not had higher homicide rates than states with the death penalty, government statistics and a new survey by The New York Times show.

Indeed, 10 of the 12 states without capital punishment have homicide rates below the national average, Federal Bureau of Investigation data shows, while half the states with the death penalty have homicide rates above the national average. In a state-by- state analysis, The Times found that during the last 20 years, the homicide rate in states with the death penalty has been 48 percent to 101 percent higher than in states without the death penalty.

[LB Lex]

I think it is a travesty that all these kids were spectators to such a brutal crime (even if she was drunk or high and went into an alley she did not deserve a beating and gang rape) and no one tried to stop it. I assume they were probably cheering it on and would have participated if they thought they would not be caught

Personally I would like to see all the perpetrators thrown in jail and but1-raped for years as well as the spectators who let this crime continue for hours.

Unfortunately it is not against the law to not help or call the police when someone is in peril unless you put that person in peril. Courts have struck down laws requiring bystanders to call the police when someone needs help because it places a legal burden on people through no fault of their own.

Therefore this is a moral issue and because of the degradation of morals that has been occurring over the last few decades I suspect it will continue and probably get worse.

I am scared to put my kid in public school that is why I am considering a private (and most likely religious) school so he can learn value, honesty, integrity, empathy, duty, etc. that is so lacking these days.

[LB Lex]

Originally Posted by Rock-a-Lex

I agree!

What do the rest of you guys think about this?

Do you think that everyone convicted of RAPE should be castrated?

***Not talking about the type of rape when there is a 19yr old boyfriend and a 17 yr old girlfriend getting it on with consent and parents of the girl find out; different type of rape however still illegal because she is underage; seperate issue.***

Just think if this was an actual LAW. How many scumbags do you think would think twice before they commit a terrible act like this? Answer = alot! Why isn't there a law currently like this? Is it inhumane? Like it isn't inhumane to rape a defenseless female. Who is being "protected" by not having a law like this?

Perhaps there are some (prominent indivduals)that may have sons away at college that could/would parttake in something stupid like this. and godforbid if they should get caught and get castrated...and not carry on the family name. This is the ONLY reason that I could think of as to why this isn;t a law!

I sounds like a nice deterrent but the courts have determined castration to be cruel and unusual punishment (I disagree with that conclusion). If it was up to me, I wouldn't castrate them. I would have their pnis cut off. Sounds cruel but the lifelong mental damage done to a woman who is incomparable and we know for sure the rapist will never be able to rape any one again.

Also, stricter punishments do not necessarily deter criminals because criminals don't expect to be caught. I remember reading studies about severe punishments not deterring criminals. If I remember correctly around 70% of criminals reoffend. I also remember reading a study wherein the murder rate was the same among two neighboring states where one has the death penalty and the other doesn't.

Deterrence Making it impossible for the criminal to commit the same type of crime

[legit]

Originally Posted by LB Lex

I sounds like a nice deterrent but the courts have determined castration to be cruel and unusual punishment (I disagree with that conclusion). If it was up to me, I wouldn't castrate them. I would have their pnis cut off. Sounds cruel but the lifelong mental damage done to a woman who is incomparable and we know for sure the rapist will never be able to rape any one again.

Also, stricter punishments do not necessarily deter criminals because criminals don't expect to be caught. I remember reading studies about severe punishments not deterring criminals. If I remember correctly around 70% of criminals reoffend. I also remember reading a study wherein the murder rate was the same among two neighboring states where one has the death penalty and the other doesn't.

Deterrence Making it impossible for the criminal to commit the same type of crime

I think I read something familiar with castration. But it had more to do with people with psychological conditions where castration had minimal effect as the urge remained for them to reoffend even after many years. Nonetheless, these guys are unlikely psychological maniacs, so castration should be a minimum, but of course, a penectomy is well deserved for these bastards.

[mmarshall]

A 15-year-old girl leaving early from the homecoming dance at Richmond High School was enticed into a darkened alley just off campus to hang out with as many as a dozen young men who were drinking.

When the girl joined in and became drunk herself, police say, the men attacked her.

One after another, as many as six men raped the girl, police said Monday. Others watched. For more than two hours, no one tried to stop the attacks, and no one called police.

Once again, alcohol shows its evil, particularly with young people. This is a perfect example why alcohol is off-limits to people under 18-21, and why we have laws against public drunkennness, no matter what the age (we don't know how old the guys were, except for 19-year-old Ortega). None of this probably would have happened if she....and the young men.......had not been drinking.

Of course, that doesn't excuse what the guys did, drunk or sober...they are guilty of mass sexual assault either way. But the point is.....too much alcohol is bad at any age; it is especially deadly with young, immature people.

Of course, all teens make mistakes......that is a part of growing up. I hope she learned from this one, and my hopes and prayers go out for her recovery.