More arrests in California gang rape
News stories began to break over last weekend about a tragic turn of events at a homecoming dance at a Northern California high school last Saturday. I have yet to write about this case and have no intentions of getting into the specifics, but I have been watching it with interest, mainly from a father’s perspective.
From the evidence so far, it appears the 15-year-old girl had left the dance and was walking to get a ride with her father when she was invited to join a drinking party on school property. The details of what followed are still coming out, but she evidently consumed a large amount of alcohol and was then raped by several men.
So far, six arrests have been made. Those arrested are Salvador Rodriguez, Manuel Ortega, Marcelles James Peter, Ari Abdallah Morales, Cody Ray Smith, and Jose Carlos Montano. They range in age from 15 to 21 and the police are looking for more suspects, as well as witnesses to the rape.
This part is what bothers me the most. Over a period of two hours, this girl was raped by these men and it was not in some remote area. Instead, it was in a dimly lit school courtyard with as many as two dozen people watching it happen. Yes, it could be argued that the girl shouldn’t have been drinking and may have instigated the attack, but that argument does not carry much weight with me. Again, I am looking at this from a father’s point of view. If you are a father, then you know of what I speak.
All I can think of is how I would feel if this were one of my own daughters. To think that people stood around and witnessed this rape and instead of reporting it to the police or trying to stop it, some of them were taking pictures. It goes beyond every reasonable sensibility that I have. I simply do not understand how two dozen bystanders could watch something like this happen and not do something to stop it. Surely there was something they could have done.
These are just some of the questions surrounding this rape but there is one that overrides all the others. Has our society descended so low as to actually enjoy watching something like this happen?
Don’t you know Larry, kids will be kids. That attitude is everywhere and accepted by many. Its a sad, sad state of affairs. One would have thought that a least one person would step forward and at least call the authorities, but then that never happened—what can one say. Its an indictment on all of us and what we have become.
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Tragic and mind-boggling. With respect, I take issue with one partial sentence your wrote, referring to the girl’s behavior. What could a 15 year old girl (even a drunk one) that could be construed as “instigating” a 2 hour long gang rape with an audience. Perhaps you just meant that her participation put in in a place where this could happen. Or perhaps there are details I have missed.
I am sickened by the relative young ages of both the victim and participants. And I , like you, can only ask questions. What sort of life experiences leads young men to be so violent and brazen? What sort of societal experiences leads witnesses to be so crass and uncaring?
Laurie,
I may not have been as clear as I should have been. I just meant that some people may say that she started this situation with her behavior. Some people’s minds run that way. In no way did I mean to imply that the girl deserved to be raped.
You know what they say, people in large numbers are less responsible because everyone thinks someone else will do it, be it call police ot step in to stop things from happening. pretty sad that this happened (on a school property of all places) But also a message to girls (and women) to keep their safety in mind at all times.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Jone. This is indeed a sobering reminder that we have responsibilties as individuals. We can’t always depend on someone else to do the right thing.
Does this incident show us where we are headed as a society? You would think that out of all the people watching that one of them would have made the judgment that this was wrong and called the police. It makes you wonder if children even know the difference between right and wrong any more. Somehow I think this attitude can come back to the whole “there is no consequences for your actions” mentality that has crept into society. We don’t seem to be teaching them that there is right and wrong in the school system any more, to tell a child he did something wrong is considered too traumatizing.
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The punishment for crimes committed by those under 18 has got to be looked at. Often the young get off far too easily. Stiffer sentencing could help some—the problem however is much deeper and we need to look at parents and schools.
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I’m so glad you clarified that comment about whether or not she deserved to be raped. I would have had to seriously disagree with you.
As someone who has been through a similar situation, my onlookers did the same thing. I have always wondered how people could stand aloof and not get involved. I am sure there are a lot of reasons – none of them valid in my book.
I recently read an article (I believe it was by Billy Graham) that all the issues we are witnessing in America and the world for that matter, are a direct result of the loss of right and wrong. You and I know that anyone partaking in this violent crime in any form is wrong Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t see the world through this prism anymore.
There is that scripture that the father’s sins will be visited upon the next generation (I just read that this morning). It makes me ill to think that this may be a behavior that will continue…
As for this poor girl, the journey she has ahead of her is one that will be difficult and challenging in the days and years ahead. She desperately needs our thoughts and prayers. The young men need to be held accountable for their actions so they can learn right from wrong.
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