Police say up to 20 people watched a Calif. teen's rape on school grounds and did not

[vivfox]

The title of this article: Police say up to 20 people watched a Calif. teen's rape on school grounds and did nothing to stop it.

RICHMOND, Calif. — The gang rape and beating of a 15-year-old girl on school grounds after her homecoming dance was horrific enough. But even more shocking, police say, was that up to 20 people watched and did nothing to stop it.

The attack over the weekend rattled this crime-ridden city of 120,000 in the San Francisco Bay area, where one police official called it one of the most heinous crimes he has ever seen. Some students have already left the school district in response to the attack.

"It's not safe there at all," said 16-year-old Jennie Steinberg, whose mother let her transfer out of the district Tuesday. "I'm not going back."

The victim, a sophomore, had left the dance and was drinking in a school courtyard with a group of students when she was attacked, police said.

Two suspects were in custody Monday, but police said as many as five others ranging in age from 15 to mid-20s attacked the girl for more than two hours at a dimly lit area near benches Saturday night. More than a dozen people saw the rape without notifying police.

The girl was found naked from the waist down near a picnic table. She remains hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

"This was a barbaric act. I still cannot get my head around the fact that numerous people either watched, walked away or participated in her assault," Lt. Mark Gagan said Tuesday. "It's one of the most disturbing crimes in my 15 years as a police officer."

Gagan would not comment on rumors that observers took video of the attack on cell phones and may have posted it online.

Manuel Ortega, a 19-year-old former student, was arrested after trying to flee the scene. He is being held on $800,000 bail for investigation of rape and robbery. A 15-year-old student also was booked late Monday on one count of sexual assault, Gagan said.

Even though he said as many as 20 people were witnesses, Gagan said officials are still trying to determine the exact number of people involved. "I'm confident that the list will expand and at the end of our investigation we will get a clear indication of who was there and who did what," Gagan said.

The attack occurred in a city that has dealt with its share of vicious crimes in recent years, and the school recently approved surveillance cameras after a series of violent crimes. In one case a few years back, a student was shot outside the school, ran inside and died in the then-principal's hands, said Marin Trujillo, a spokesman for the West Contra Costa Unified School District.

Richmond is an industrialized conclave near the San Francisco Bay that is known as one nation's most dangerous cities. In 2007, Richmond had 47 homicides, and the murder rate led the state for cities with populations of 100,000 or more, surpassing Los Angeles and Oakland.

That number dropped to 27 in 2008, but has spiked to 44 killings so far this year, amid drug dealing and gang activity that has engulfed the town, Gagan said.

Gagan said the girl left the dance and was walking to meet her father for a ride home when a classmate invited her to join a group drinking in the courtyard. The girl had consumed a large amount of alcohol by the time the assault began, police said. Gagan said the girl's father tried to call her cell phone, but no one answered.

Gagan said police received a tip about a possible assault on campus from a young woman who heard two males bragging about it. Officers found the girl semiconscious near a picnic table.

Trujillo said there were four police officers and 15 school site supervisors monitoring the dance. He said there were no problems during the dance inside the school gym, calling it "a success."

But Trujillo called the rape outside on school grounds "a tragic incident."

"We wished this had never happened. This was such a heinous crime," Trujillo said. "We are all going to learn from this."

Student Joseph Machado, 16, said the mood inside Richmond High School was tense as officers were questioning fellow students. Two squad cars were parked outside the main entrance, and school security teams were patrolling the grounds in golf carts.

"Some of my friends were saying, 'What if that happened to me?'" said Machado, whose parents didn't allow him to go to the dance. "This school, this city already has a bad reputation and now this makes it worse."

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news...ing.Gang.Rape/

[vivfox]

What's the world coming to? My heart goes out to this tragic incident and all the people involved. Alcohol is a dangerous drug. This incident has ruined a lot of lives.

[LukeA]

Richmond continues to be the embarrassment of the Bay Area.

[daniellaaarisen]

Originally Posted by LukeA

Richmond continues to be the embarrassment of the Bay Area.

Agreed, completely. Ugh.

[LiamMcConville]

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Genovese

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusi...responsibility

[rubytuesday]

Their population is 120 000 and there were 44 murders this year?!?!? that's insane!

[GODDESS6]

i was watching about this story on cnn yesterday~ i am so disturbed by this~ does it surprise me, what happened?, sadly no~ & that in itself is also disturbing to me~ & the fact that people watched & walked away, omg~ i hope all involved are prosecuted, including any that knew, watched, videotaped any of it~

[Zombie]

What is WRONG with people?

This kind of thing infuriates me. How can you just stand around and watch something terrible happen to someone? I could NEVER do that and live with myself afterward.

I am reminded of a time when I was at the store with my son and roommate. Son was about 3, and he threw an epic tantrum - my roomie offered to take him back out to the truck so I could finish shopping in peace and to diffuse the situation. I agreed that was a good idea, so roomie picked the boy up and walked out with him. Except my son was still in epic tantrum mode, and yelling, "No no no! No no no! Put me down! Put me down! NOOO!" and flailing around like a maniac.

A woman saw it, and thought perhaps my roomie was not supposed to be carting my son anywhere and called store security. They met him at the door and stopped him. Then they had to come find me so I could explain that my roomie was not, in fact, kidnapping my son.

The woman apologized to me left and right, but I told her, "No way, don't you dare apologize. Better safe than sorry. If he really WAS being taken away by someone that wasn't supposed to have him, I'd hope to high hell someone like you would be around to stop it. So THANK YOU."

Ever since that day, when I see kids in public places that are having spazz outs and resisting going somewhere with someone, I always, always query the person. It usually gets people pissed off at me, but I don't care. I'd rather not have to go to bed some night after seeing that a child was stolen by someone I saw at the store, or the park, or wherever, on the news. I mean, we all tell our kids - if someone tries to grab you or take you somewhere, pitch a fit. Make a ton of noise so people know something is happening, scream your guts out.

But that doesn't do any goddamn good if no one is willing to do anything.

That woman took action even though she couldn't even be certain something bad was for sure happening - all the people in the store with us that didn't try to check the situation out further could easily say, "Well, I just figured the kid was having a fit," and be justified in that line of reasoning.

The people that watched this poor girl get raped don't even have that kind of excuse.

/rant. Sorry, I am just...argh. Appalled.

[GypsySorcerer]

I was going to come in here and post "Bystander Effect," but Liam beat me to it.

My heart goes out to the victim of this atrocity.

[estranged4life]

some people in this world don't belong in this world.

How could someone, who is able to determine in their mind what is wrong from what is right NOT get involved? Oh wait, I forgot - it's something my therapist mentioned awhile back that society accepting bad behavior allows for such behavior to exist even when it should not.

I may not be the 'happy-go-lucky' and the most 'smiley' person in the world, but I will stop and help out someone with ANY second thought.

[vivfox]

Four teens could appear in court as early as Thursday after being charged in the alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside her high school homecoming dance in Northern California.

The four — ages 15, 16, 17 and 19 — were charged Wednesday with rape and enhancements that they acted in concert, which could make them eligible for life in prison.

"These are people who played a significant role in the incident," Richmond Police Lt. Mark Gagan said. "I'm confident that more arrests will be made."

Besides rape, the 19-year-old, Manuel Ortega of Richmond, was charged with robbery and assault causing great bodily injury. It was unknown if he had an attorney.

The other three face one count each of felony rape with a foreign object. They were charged as adults because of the severity of the crime, Gagan said. The 16-year-old also faces robbery charges.

All four remained in custody Wednesday. A fifth suspect arrested Tuesday, 21-year-old Salvador Rodriguez of Richmond, also remained jailed but had not been charged.

The alleged gang rape and beating Saturday night at Richmond High School have rattled the city of about 120,000 in the San Francisco Bay area.

Police believe as many as 10 people ranging in age from 15 to mid-20s attacked the girl for more than two hours in a dimly lit area. As many as two dozen people witnessed the rape without notifying police.

Dara Cashman, head of the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office sex crimes unit, told the Contra Costa Times, a Bay area newspaper, that those who witnessed the alleged rape and did not report it could face aiding and abetting charges — if it can be proven that their actions facilitated or goaded the perpetrators.

Police hope a $20,000 reward will bring more people forward with information.

Police received a tip about a possible assault on campus from a former student, who heard two males bragging about it. Officers found the girl semiconscious and naked from the waist down near a picnic table.

Margarita Vargas, who was watching television Saturday night with others at her home two blocks from the school campus, told the newspaper she reported the assault as soon as she heard about it. The newspaper did not say whether Vargas was a student at the school.

"They think it's cool," Vargas said of the alleged perpetrators. "They weren't raised to respect girls."

Gagan said the victim, a sophomore, left the dance and was walking to meet her father for a ride home when a classmate invited her to join a group drinking in the courtyard. The girl had consumed a large amount of alcohol by the time the assault began, police said.

Gagan said the girl's father tried to call her cell phone, but no one answered.

She was released from the hospital Wednesday

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news...ing.Gang.Rape/

[GODDESS6]

they showed some of these guys cuffed & being carted off to jail on cnn~ but i was sad to hear that they aren't going to prosecute the people who told, watched, knew & possibly videotaped the assaults on this poor girl~

[Zombie]

Originally Posted by vivfox

As many as two dozen people witnessed the rape without notifying police.

Two dozen people. TWO DOZEN.

Sometimes there is just not enough D: in the world, y'all.

brb, locking daughter in closet til she's 54 and a half.

[kak125]

this story is just soo disturbing to me on so many levels. what the f is wrong with people these days. everyday i hear another story of something happening that just makes me lose all faith in mankind. its ridiculous and another reason why i dont want any children. i couldnt imagine having to raise a child in this day and age with whats going on now. i would be afraid to let them get on the bus let alone go to school - geesh!!!

[David]

I blame the public schools -- all that touchy-feely self-esteem crap the policy-makers push. Social engineers & change agents -- the do-gooders of our society (who never actually do any good) -- destroy ethical behavior, which is a function of the intellect.

Dismantle the U.S. Department of Education NOW!!