Police Look for More Suspects in Gang Rape

(CBS)  Classes were back in session at Richmond High School in San Francisco's East Bay Tuesday, with counselors available for students to talk about Saturday night's horrific crime - the gang rape on campus of a 15-year-old student who had just left the homecoming dance. The victim was airlifted to a local hospital after being beaten, robbed and raped.

A 19-year-old former student and a 15-year-old current student have been arrested, but more arrests are expected soon, reports CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes.

"Multiple offenders, multiple people raping over prolonged period," said Lt. Mark Gagan with the Richmond police.

What makes this crime so shocking is that police say at least 20 people were involved in the rape or stood and watched the crime without going for help.

"These are witnesses that are encouraging and allowing behavior to continue," Gagan said.

For those who watched and did nothing, it may be morally reprehensible, but it's not illegal.

"Although this is a very difficult crime to hear about, the fact is California law does not impose an affirmative obligation on anyone to do anything when you are watching a crime," said Trent Copeland, a legal analyst.

Richmond High School has a 69 percent truancy rate and is in a school district that had 19 student murders last year. Fights at Richmond have been posted on YouTube, and a van was set on fire on the football field's new artificial turf. An investigation by CBS station KPIX-TV last year found only a handful of the 16 security cameras in the school were working.

On Friday, there were four Richmond police officers on duty at the dance, but the security guards patrolling the grounds were released at 9 p.m., a half-hour before the victim left the dance.

"Dance was successful event and safe for the students that were there," said Marin Trujillo, the West Contra Costa Unified School District spokesman. "This dance itself was a successful event."

Police are now searching for cell phone video that onlookers may have recorded. Wednesday, it's expected that the suspects will be in court for arraignment.

[aguf980]

It's odd that no mention has been made in the media about the girl's or the boys' race? Why is that? All we know is the last names of some of the boys and we've seen brief video of some being arrested. The names have been Hispanic and the videos show blacks and hispanics. If the girl is white, why isn't this being labeled and treated as a HATE Crime? After all she was beaten badly, aside from being brutally raped. I'm tired of all the media hype when it is a black person being hurt by whites, but when it is the other way around, it's all kept hush hush. I'm not prejudiced, I'm just tired of the double standard. Even if she were black and all the guys were Hispanic or white and she was badly beaten it should be treated the same, as a hate crime. Even if she were hispanic and all the guys were black or white, it should be treated the same. Hate is Hate.
Thank you.

[intepid]

If a hate crime was defined by the presence of hateful feelings then pretty much any violent crime would be classified as such. For it to be a hate crime it must be primarily motivated by the identification of the individual with some group.

In this case rather than race-baiting, how about looking at gender? This attack was far more likely motivated by the fact that she was female than that she was white.

[robotgir]

I keep reading a lot about the onlookers and perpetrators being 'animals.' This may be so, but are animals as heinous as this?

I don't think there is appropriate vocabulary to describe these individuals. Calling them animals is offensive to animals.

[Itneverchanges]

Nothing has changed in Richmond. I was bussed into the Richmond Schools 35 years ago. I was unable to finish school because I was jumped by girls too many times and my life was threatened. Many of these children come from the worst homes. Fathers who are in prison and mothers who are on drugs. Very poor people. Angry children and I see it has passed on to the next generation. So sad.

[rainbowroosie]

"This is what comes of years of permissiveness, entitlement, tolerance and no personal accountability or responsibility."

Sadly, our schools, our government, and many parents are simply inept. I have great sympathy for the victim and I hope the perps get the max. I challenge all of you to do what you can to reverse the above quote from nowhiningallowed. If not, you'll need to learn to live in fear.

[Maria-Ashot]

The people who stood by and watched the raped were active participants in a hate crime. Their presence multiplied the victim's suffering. A huge component of the suffering was the humiliation itself. The greater the number of people watching, laughing, not helping -- the worse the psychological trauma for the victim. After all, any crime has a psychological, mental as well as an emotional component -- not just the physical impact, not just the specific material damage done. Sexual violence in particular inflicts psychic trauma. To be viewed as less than human by an entire mob -- a mob, furthermore, that is not "passive" or "silent" at all, but that comes and goes and pulsates with pleasure at your own suffering: that is much more than merely being held down, raped or even kicked and brutalized by a gang of rapists. Absolutely, these "onlookers" were not mere bystanders -- they were accessories, they were purveyors and consumers of the event, as it were -- they were creating the "market" for the "commodity" which in this case happened to be the torture-rape of a very young girl from a community they viewed as being "different" from their own (even though she is a fellow student and a local resident). That makes this a hate crime, and all parties present accessories and enablers thereof. That they were accessories is manifested by the fact they did not make any attempt to report the more than two-hour-long event, even though police were just moments away, at the gym. in fact, it was the presence of the mob that made the attack last as long as it did, with the successive rapists essentially "putting on a show."

[lovenpeace1]

Folks,

American Parents buy video games for their children that are about explicit bloodly violence, bombings, crime, killings, Explosions, Sexuality, stealing and Raping. Its all very 'Cool' stuff.

It is common for thousand of homicides on the Streets of America and nobody in the neighborhood including parents knows nothing when the Police becomes aware of witnesses.

And yes, please continue to blame the school district and the U.S. Government for the bad manner and behavior of raising our children. They are the only ones fully Responsible.

With Liberty and Freedom comes Responsibilities. Here is a classic example of What is Freedom and Liberty without Responsibilities?

[lovenpeace1]

Folks,

American Parents buy video games for their children that are about explicit bloodly violence, bombings, crime, killings, Explosions, Sexuality, stealing and Raping. Its all very 'Cool' stuff.

It is common for thousand of homicides on the Streets of America and nobody in the neighborhood including parents knows nothing when the Police becomes aware of witnesses.

And yes, please continue to blame the school district for the bad manner and behavior of our children. They are the only ones fully Responsible.

With Liberty and Freedom comes Responsibilities. Here is a classic example of What is Freedom and Liberty without Responsibilities?

[lovenpeace1]

Folks,

American Parents buy video games for their children that are about explicit bloodly violence, bombings, Killings, Explosions, Sexuality and Raping. Its all 'Cool' stuff.

It is common for thousand of homicides on the Streets of America and nobody in the neighborhood including parents knows nothing when the Police becomes aware of witnesses.

And yes, please continue to blame the school district for the bad manner and behavior of our children. They are the only ones fully Responsible.

With Liberty and Freedom comes Responsibilities. Here is a classic example of What is Freedom and Liberty without Responsibilities?

[texttwist]

they should fire all the administration in this school and close it down forever. "Dance was successful event and safe for the students that were there," said Marin Trujillo, the West Contra Costa Unified School District spokesman. "This dance itself was a successful event." marin trujillo should be the first one fired. how dare he say this was a successful event....i cant imagine what an unsuccessful event is at this school. and why even hire security guards and police officers if they go home before the dance even gets fully underway. what planet are these school administrators from. they have a problem school to begin, deaths car fires, 69% truancy rate...and they stand by just like the disgusting animals that stood by and watched this poor child get raped and do nothing.

[incidence]

Yes, I agree. For the school district representative to focus on the "success of their homecoming dance" instead of the heinous crime that happened in their school grounds is just plain wrong. It sends the message that this school cares more about their image but do not care about putting up systems to keep the children safe. If I had a child going to the school, I would pull them out of there fast.

[Iamthemango]

As for the perps, chemically castrate them, braid their hair and send them to Rikers with "I'm Yours" tatooed on their foreheads.

With a near 70% truancy rate, a torched van on campus, and 19 murders so far this year, why wasn't this child chaperoned in the first place? Why was she drunk and how did she get so drunk? Why didn't she go with her father when he came to pick her up?

Interesting how the details morph, depending on which news outlet you follow and of course the race of the victim.