California high school student gang-raped outside dance

[Shinola]

Originally Posted by Hummus

I'm not blaming anybody. That was my point. Because based on the information given in the linked article, it seemed suspicious to me. That is all I voiced, obviously it rubbed you the wrong way.

I was suspicious because in the article it doesn't give a statement from the girl's father, the girl herself, any witnesses or anything from the person who made the call.


A Google map of the area shows it to be on a fairly busy street with a store across the street. There are also plenty of houses in the area.
I know the article stated that it was witnessed by many people who said nothing. But what if it looked like nothing was happening?

I know she was transported to the hospital, but even after that there is no more information from her parents or witnesses or anything. If you look through other articles on the attack the number of people who witnessed it, the way she was found and the people still at the scene when police arrived varies greatly.

I'm not saying she didn't get raped, I'm not saying she wasn't hurt. I'm saying it was fishy and why immediately call it a rape? When obviously the police don't know what happened, the victim isn't saying anything that we know of, and the witnesses aren't either.

I'm a little pessimistic of nearly everything that I read. I'm not heartless and if it was a true rape then I do feel bad for the girl, but I'm not completely convinced, given the information available that she was indeed raped. Beaten, yes. Raped, I don't know.

The police are investigating it as a crime. They protect the identity of a juvenile rape victim. I can't fuckin' believe it's 2009 and a drunk teenage girl gang-raped in a bad neighborhood MAYBE wasn't raped. Yes, it's so incredibly suspicious. Because, you know, the police just love to help out rape victims, and there's so much justice in Richmond.

[Sarzy]

Jeeeesus! What the hell is there to be suspicious about? She was gang raped.

[Wiseguy]

This reminds me of a case I saw on 48 hours recently. The 16 year old rape victim at the time was extremely brave and withstood the terrible character assassination from the defense. It was a good outcome and I hope the same will be said in this case. Here are the details of the 2002 case:

Prosecutors contend that the girl, who was 16 at the time, was seduced, manipulated, and given drugs and alcohol before passing out and being assaulted numerous times as she lay motionless on a pool table.
"You see on the tape that they (the defendants) are celebrating," prosecutor Dan Hess said during closing arguments. "They are mugging for the camera and making crude comments. They're dancing around. They know that she's unresponsive, they know that she's unconscious. They're deciding what to do next. They're competing with each other to see who can do the worst things to her."
Throughout their case, defense lawyers spent most of their time attacking the credibility of Jane Doe, saying she engaged in a pattern of deceit and lying about her sex life.........The girl, identified only as Jane Doe, testified for four days, telling jurors she did not remember anything after having a drink that may have been laced with GHD, a so-called "date rape" drug......The girl, identified only as Jane Doe, testified for four days, telling jurors she did not remember anything after having a drink that may have been laced with GHD, a so-called "date rape" drug........prosecutors concluded their case by telling jurors that regardless of whether Jane Doe consented to sex, she was so intoxicated and under the influence of drugs that she "lost her ability to exercise reasonable judgment when the teens are seen (on videotape) inserting foreign objects into her body and having sex while she lay unconscious."

CNN.com - Gang-rape case goes to jury - Jun 23, 2004

[MrsDark]

What, no scream?

She was lucky the case went so well.

[McJag]

Originally Posted by Hummus

Did the girl complain? I mean, did she report anything? Why is it rape?
She didn't just get wasted and have sex? I mean they said it happened in a dark alley and nobody could see, but if I was getting raped, somebody would hear me screaming.

No,madam. Not if you were 15 years old and only semi-conscious at best. Not even if you were 30 years old and totally out of it. She did not have the ability to scream.

[buttmunch]

The girl was found semi-conscious by a picnic table. It's pretty easy to examine her and determine forcible sex. Although there are probably defense asshats out there who will suggest she 'likes it rough'.

[katerpillar]

Originally Posted by Hummus

Did the girl complain? I mean, did she report anything? Why is it rape?
She didn't just get wasted and have sex? I mean they said it happened in a dark alley and nobody could see, but if I was getting raped, somebody would hear me screaming.

Did you even bother to read the article? The police found her - after a tip off from someone about the attack - passed out on the ground. They caught an adult man RUNNING AWAY.

A California high school student who police said was gang raped in a two-and-a-half-hour assault outside a homecoming dance remained hospitalized in stable condition Monday, two days after she was flown from the attack scene in critical condition.

As of late Monday, two suspects had been arrested in the case and a third was being questioned.

"There is one individual in custody who has made some spontaneous statements that have led me to believe that he is culpable for what happened," Richmond police Lt. Johan Simon said.

Nineteen-year-old Manuel Ortega, described as a former student at the school, was arrested soon after he fled the scene and will face charges of rape, robbery and kidnapping, police said.

A 15-year-old was later arrested and charged with one count of felony sexual assault. A third teenager was being interviewed, according to Lt. Mark Gagan of the police department in Richmond, California.

"Based on witness statements and suspect statements, and also physical evidence, we know that she was raped by at least four suspects committing multiple sex acts," Gagan said.

Police: Gang rape outside school dance lasted over two hours - CNN.com

Yeah. Why is that rape? Doesn't everyone get rushed to hospital in a critical condition after sex?

[Laxmobster]

^ Thanks for posting. I just read that CNN article and was a little baffled by some of the comments on this thread. From evidence, cops say at least 4 persons sexually assaulted her while others stood and watched. Some of the bystanders even joined in on this shit. It's RAPE and completely sick!

[mrs.v]

Fucking savages.That poor girl.

[crumpet]

Originally Posted by Hummus

I'm not blaming anybody. That was my point. Because based on the information given in the linked article, it seemed suspicious to me. That is all I voiced, obviously it rubbed you the wrong way.

I was suspicious because in the article it doesn't give a statement from the girl's father, the girl herself, any witnesses or anything from the person who made the call.


A Google map of the area shows it to be on a fairly busy street with a store across the street. There are also plenty of houses in the area.
I know the article stated that it was witnessed by many people who said nothing. But what if it looked like nothing was happening?

I know she was transported to the hospital, but even after that there is no more information from her parents or witnesses or anything. If you look through other articles on the attack the number of people who witnessed it, the way she was found and the people still at the scene when police arrived varies greatly.

I'm not saying she didn't get raped, I'm not saying she wasn't hurt. I'm saying it was fishy and why immediately call it a rape? When obviously the police don't know what happened, the victim isn't saying anything that we know of, and the witnesses aren't either.

I'm a little pessimistic of nearly everything that I read. I'm not heartless and if it was a true rape then I do feel bad for the girl, but I'm not completely convinced, given the information available that she was indeed raped. Beaten, yes. Raped, I don't know.

The news article clearly said the girl was gang raped, not that there was a sexual situation that no one knew the details of. They clearly said it was a GANG RAPE. There was no need for them to list all the explicit details for our macabre reading pleasure. They didn't mention what kind of underwear she had on or whether she was a virgin either, would that have made a difference? If they reported she was raped, then she was not just beaten. It was made perfectly clear.

Why is it that rape is the one crime where a victim automatically has to prove that they didn't cause it (as though it is possible to cause someone to rape you, GOD!). Right off the bat we've got people wondering why she didn't scream or fight harder, as though it is just typical for girls and women to just decide to randomly screw a bunch of guys in public. The poor thing is already going to have to defend herself for the crime of being drunk while in possession of a vagina, what more do you want?

The part that makes me sicker than anything is how people can WATCH such a thing, especially if they are other females, and not do anything. The rampmant sexism that still exists in this country is sickening and anyone who thinks there is no need for feminism anymore can go jump off a fucking cliff as far as I'm concerned. Peoples' mentalities have not yet caught up to our laws, unfortunately.

And if this were a gay person or someone of a different race being targeted like this it would be called a hate crime. Go figure.

[buttmunch]

Major, major applause for Crumpet. Spot on.

[shedevilang]

Originally Posted by buttmunch

Major, major applause for Crumpet. Spot on.

I second this

[katerpillar]

I third it!

[crumpet]

Originally Posted by buttmunch

Major, major applause for Crumpet. Spot on.

Lawd, somebody call Ripley's.....Butt and I finally see eye to eye on a social issue, yipeee!!!

-Just kidding, you know

[Moongirl]

MSNBC.com
Police: Up to 20 people saw gang rape
Authorities in Calif. city say nobody did anything to stop attack
The Associated Press
updated 5:06 p.m. PT, Tues., Oct . 27, 2009


Police cars sit parked outside Richmond High School on Tuesday. Authorities are investigating the rape and beating of a 15-year-old girl on school grounds following a homecoming dance on Friday.


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."

Rumors of online video
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.


‘A tragic incident’
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 the 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."


Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: Police: Up to 20 people saw gang rape - Crime & courts- msnbc.com



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