High Schoolers Watch Public Gang Rape

[grzegorz]

5 now in custody in Richmond High gang rape
Henry K. Lee,Kevin Fagan, Chronicle Staff Writers

Thursday, October 29, 2009

The boys, ages 15, 16 and 17, were among five suspects that had been arrested in connection with the crime as of Wednesday. Police were continuing their investigation and expect to make more arrests.

Police said they now believe that as many as 10 young men may have assaulted the girl Saturday after she left her school's homecoming dance. They initially said that about six young men attacked the girl.

The three juveniles were each charged with rape in concert and penetration with a foreign object, authorities said. The 16-year-old also faces a robbery charge.

The first suspect arrested in the case, Manuel Ortega, 19, of Richmond, was charged Wednesday with rape in concert, rape by force, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury.

Another suspect, Salvador Rodriguez, 21, of Richmond, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of rape in concert. He remains in custody and may be formally charged later this week, authorities said.

The latest arrest happened at 11 p.m. Tuesday when the 17-year-old boy turned himself in at Richmond police headquarters, Lt. Mike Gormley said. Officers went to the boy's Pinole home earlier but didn't find him, police said.

The younger boys are both from San Pablo.

Although the juveniles are being charged as adults, their names were withheld by authorities because of their ages. The three boys are being held without bail at Juvenile Hall.

Ortega is being held in lieu of $1.2 million bail at Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez. Rodriguez was in the process of being booked.

Police say the assailants, ranging in age from 15 to their early 20s, committed a "slew of crimes" against the girl, including raping her, beating her and stealing her jewelry.

The young men laughed and shot photos as they took turns assaulting the girl, police said.

Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of any of the assailants.

The girl knew at least one of the assailants, the 15-year-old boy, investigators said.

About 200 students, teachers and community leaders rallied outside the campus after school Wednesday to condemn the rape and to say they wanted people to know the crime was not representative of their campus, despite the negative reputation of the crime-plagued city.

"I am devastated," said senior Norma Bautista, her voice cracking with emotion. "I'm here because I want everybody in Arizona, in New York, everywhere they are, (to know) that we are not criminals. We are the future leaders. I see people call us animals. Why don't you look at those of us who are trying to make a change?"

Most speakers blamed the rape at least in part on degrading, dehumanizing societal attitudes toward women.

Biology teacher Lorna McClellan said the problem of rape is not just confined to low-income cities with high crime rates, such as Richmond, and that she hoped community revulsion over the weekend attack will help spark societal change in the way some men view women.

"Women are portrayed on TV and in music as pieces of meat," she said. "When are we going to take the challenge and step up and change this?"

How to help
Richmond High School is accepting cards and donations for the victim and her family. They can be mailed to the school at 1250 23rd St., Richmond, CA 94804-1011. Make checks out to the Richmond High Student Fund.

E-mail the writers at [email protected] and [email protected]

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... z0VOviBLIc

[Dale Dugas]

People have become pussies.

Sickening.

To watch something like that and not lift a finger.

I hope they all get to go to the big house and "perform" for their cellmates.

Better than they deserve

[yusuf]

It really is sickening... having seen a situation recently where no one was willing to help a woman being molested, i reckon it's best to assume no one is going to help and let ones actions follow that...

[cerebus]

FUCK! Fuckin horrible shit! I don't even know how to express a response to that shit...

[Dmitri]

Aha, so NOW they're complaining that people did nothing? But wait a minute, wasn't it "the right thing to do", according to police/govt.? "Don't get involved, call 911, stay safe, let authorities handle things", etc. -- we keep hearing this bullshit ALL the damn time, right? So now people actually acted like they were asked to act (i.e. do nothing) and something awful happens as a result, and they're fucking surprized?!

[Josealb]

Jesus...

Makes me want to reach for my cane and PULL A MOTHERFUCKING SWORD OUT OF MY GODDAMN CANE.

I know that sometimes, well most of the times, people get hurt when trying to help others. But someone could have screamed fire....or start breaking windows...or start something. It would be dangerous, but what can you do? you cant watch...and you cant walk away.

[Ron Panunto]

It's a matter of group dynamics. The more people that witness an event, the less likely it is that any single individual will accept responsibility and do something to prevent it. It's a phenomenon where resposibility is spread out over the entire group rather than with just one individual, and the more that responsibility is spread out, the weaker its motivating factor becomes for any single individual. Everyone expects someone else to do something about it, and when they don't, then they figure that it's not the right course for me to do something about it, and everyone in the group is thinking the same way, so no one reacts. Of course, with teens, there is also peer pressure. Probably the ones that raped her where in the "in crowd" or the "tough guys," so to go against them would be to further alienate yourself from the "cool" kids.

[Methods]

Richmond - holy shit. My entire family, mom and dad are from San Pablo and I used to have to attend Summer School once in a while at Richmond High.

Let me tell you guys something about Richmond High. Talking tough about cane swords and shit when you have absolutely no idea of the animal kingdom of San Pablo. Most of the people that inhabit San Pablo are fucking animals, low income, low educated, low life, prejudice, racist, gangsters, drug dealers, literally cancer to society and they all have children starting at roughly around 13 years of age. I will say before I start my rant that is has cleaned up allot and is no where the same town that is was 20 sum odd years ago, but its still bad, real bad.
My father and two uncles were cops in this town as well growing up there. Herbert Whitehurst my uncle was the lieutenant of the Richmond police force, in which I got to hear all the good stuff but on the other hand scared the hell out of me all the time as well.
Going to summer school was absolute hell for me being one of the only white kids. If I wasnt a skater I would more than likely be literally dead. I had to fight groups of kids almost everyday and my skate was the weapon of choice, not only the Black kids were attacking me just because I was white but the Mexicans if they were rivals to the "Broadway" section of town. Like I said, there is no reasoning at all with these people and to hear this fills me with outrage because it is not something that has happened not for the first time and will continue to happen.

I am sure you martial art heroes would of jumped right in when you were kids, when there are six or so gangster kids that more than likely have killed before raping this girl. Then your first day back to school it would definitely happen to your sister, mom or yourself for getting in the middle of it. There Is more than what these people are telling and its a crying shame that this city for all that they have put into it oer the years to clean it up is still dealing with the same shit that it was back in the early 80's.

There are some good oustanding people in this town, but over all it would be better off demolished...

[Dmitri]

Thanks for the extra info, Methods.

From the commentary is wasn't clear (at least to me) that the observers were kids; I assumed adults... But I hear ya, regardless. Wasn't THAT bad where I was growing up, but certainly close enough for me to know what you mean.

[Steve James]

Gang rape, if it doesn't happen everyday, happens all too frequently. What is different about this incident that separates it from others is the fact that it was videotaped. It wasn't the gov't that made people use their cellphones to film, rather than call for help. It isn't about the economics of the area or the ethnicities of the participants that makes it different. It's not a symptom of the gov't's effect on people. If anything, it is the youtube-internet culture that is to blame. Last month, a kid got beaten to death, while people filmed. Last week, several people were allowed to be cooked to death, and people watched.

I can't say how I'd react. It's not hard to figure out how I'd want people to react if it were me in trouble. I also don't think that it's "collectivism" run amok, when it comes to the crowd. I think it's pure individualistic detachment, so much that the first thing people thought about was having something to show. Jumping in to help: now, that'd be selfless. That'd be doing something for someone else. Nah, that's getting more and more difficult to expect from people.

[yusuf]

If you help you may die, if you don't you will die inside, every day, for the rest of your life...

[Josealb]

I agree with Yusuf. Best thing one can hope for is luck, to never get to walk into a thing like that. If i do...well...im no hero.

But im getting a motherfucking cane just in case.

[cerebus]

"Help" comes in many forms. Each situation has to be judged individually. There are some situations where I would likely jump in and physically assist the victim. There are others where I would call the cops, then maybe get creative with further help. Like running up to the perps and shouting "Here come the cops! Run!" or something along those lines.

[grzegorz]

Aha, so NOW they're complaining that people did nothing? But wait a minute, wasn't it "the right thing to do", according to police/govt.? "Don't get involved, call 911, stay safe, let authorities handle things", etc. -- we keep hearing this bullshit ALL the damn time, right? So now people actually acted like they were asked to act (i.e. do nothing) and something awful happens as a result, and they're fucking surprized?!

If someone called 911 I'd be satisfied, as Methods said this is a very dangerous neighborhood and payback is a bitch!

But even that didn't happen and this went on for 2 and half hours, you'd think someone would have walked away and just dial up someone to call someone for help.

[yusuf]

. i am only paraphrasing John Wang .. he put into words something I haven't been able to articulate...