Gang Rape Watchers: How could you stand around and do nothing?
Richmond High School
A few days ago I heard about the case in Richmond, California in which the 15 year old girl was raped and 20 or more people stood around, watched and did absolutely nothing. I was so disgusted by the situation that I had refused to put it on my site. I mean, some stuff is just too awful. But today, my Dad mentioned the case to me and I figured I betta go ahead and say something. This is what I want to know.
The people who watched the gang rape, how could you stand around and do nothing? How could you see a teen girl be treated in such a way and not stand up for what is right? Could you not look at that girl and see your mother as a teen? Or your sister? Or your girlfriend? It sickens me to know that people exist in this world who could stand and watch that kind of crime be committed and do nothing. Mankind has fallen a few notches if you ask me. For those of you who always want to blame the victim, a girl walking outside of a homecoming dance should not be a easy target for rape. Seriously. A girl should be able to walk around her school without a bodyguard and not worry that some sexual deviant or a pack of sexual deviants is going to attack her.
Mothers if your sons were among those who watched this girl get raped, please ask them where their head is. Take away their video games, their cell phones, and their Michael Jordan sneakers until they can give you a legitimate reason as to why they stood there and did nothing. If they can’t offer you a legitimate reason, they need to see a therapist, a pastor, or somebody cause they need help! Do not kid yourself into believing that nothing is wrong with your child if they simply stood there. Rape is a crime against humanity.
I would like to send a prayer for the girl and her family. What do you think was on the minds of these people who stood around and watched this girl be gang raped?
Here’s the video: 
To read the official story click here:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/27/california.gang.rape.investigation/index.html
About the Author
Yasmin Shiraz is the President of Still Eye Rise Films, an independent production company which films educational and thought provoking documentaries that chronicle the lives, traumas and experiences of youth. Her first production, Can She Be Saved?, a documentary that examines violence among middle school girls, was an official selection of the 2009 Roxbury Film Festival and recently won a 2009 Indie Award of Merit from IndieFest.
Yasmin Shiraz is the Award winning Author of Retaliation a novel about a community’s response to youth violence. In 2009, it was selected as one of the top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers by the American Library Association. She is the author of The Blueprint for My Girls: How To Build A Life Full of Courage, Determination & Self Love (Simon and Schuster) and five other books. Her best selling “Blueprint” empowerment series is utilized as a self esteem, motivational, and educational tool at middle and high schools, after school programs, non-profit youth centers, as well as Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the country. 
One Comment for Gang Rape Watchers: How could you stand around and do nothing?
October 30, 2009 at 6:44 am
What we know in terms of group behaviors is that when someone is victimized in public, people tend to watch before they help. They are often too fascinated, in a detached way by the events, often because they don’t know the person to think to help.
What we also know is that while 99.9% of the time, people are scared to be the one to say “This is wrong, stop NOW” they are often afraid to for fear of harm to themselves. Not because they necessarily fear the aggressors but the whole mob. The truth is though is that that one voice breaks the mob most of the time. That one voice encourages everyone to think for themselves again.
There’s another thing too, and that’s the perception of difference reducing sensitivity to each other.
Their a huge mental separation between males and females, and it’s more accented in the teen years. Girls are a THEM, literally. And…
So far, the suspects that are turning up are Latin or Hispanic. There you have an additional disconnect. A cultural one. This white student is an additional level of other because she doesn’t look like HIS family.
Whites are also a minority in this school, but in many ways are not treated like one and given the extra work minorities need. Several students have mentioned that not even the teachers note their achievements because it’s assumed they will succeed without ANY help from administration.
Add in the primal level perception of weakness of her being a victim (people don’t tend to get close to the weak or sick), and then she’s several levels removed of being a person to them.
It’s ugly. The ugliest thing I’ve heard of in a long time, but that’s the behavioral list of mindsets.
My question is, how do we break this? How do we educate young people to give them bravery and empathy for others? I’m working up some ideas about this but could use help.