Gang rape raises questions about bystanders' role

[madmom]

....So why didn't anyone come forward?
Criminology and psychology experts say there could be a variety of reasons why the crime wasn't reported. Several pointed to a problematic social phenomenon known as the bystander effect. It's a theory that has played out in lynchings, college riots and white-collar crimes.....
.....Carberry said witnesses can be less likely to report a crime because they reinforce each other with the notion that reporting the crime isn't necessary. Or, he says, witnesses may think another person in the crowd already reported the incident. The responsibility among the group becomes diffused...
.....This detached mentality can be especially pervasive among youth, who are too young to comprehend what victimization means, said Salvatore Didato, an organizational psychologist in New York. When a teenager -- or anyone -- -doesn't have a personal bond to the victim, they are less likely to help out.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/28/california.gang.rape.bystander/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn




Maybe this is something that should be discussed in schools?

[spotbird]

1. Was is obviously a rape?

Is it possible bystanders quickly turned their eyes thinking it was consensual?

[hedgehog]

2. Maybe it just looked like a porn movie or hot sex.

[Darth_Kitten]

6. Oh, ha ha.

:sarcasm:

[hedgehog]

14. I was quoting a description from a similar case.

[fascisthunter]

3. I would be extremely ashamed if I did nothing

I would rather take the lumps or threats...

[lukasahero]

4. "youth, who are too young to comprehend what victimization means"

That's bullshit. When I was in high school, I used to break up fights all the time. I knew damn well what victimization was and I stood up to stop it.

Of course, I was usually the only one doing so. Everyone else seemed to think it was great fun to watch and I was considered a 'dork'. I'd been called worse so it didn't matter to me. Are we raising such sheep that there are none among them strong enough to stand up for the weak and powerless lest they be called an unappealing name?

We really need to talk to our kids and yes, I do think it should be talked about in school, in the churches, in the home, at the YMCA, at the summer camps - everywhere kids are, this conversation should be taking place.

[Warpy]

5. Add darkness and the possibility that poor girl was no longer able

to scream or defend herself and you have people lying to themselves about what was really going on.

[EOTE]

7. Don't many states have Good Samaritan laws?

Isn't doing nothing while someone is being harmed or attacked a possibly illegal offense in lots of places? The last episode of Seinfeld dealt with a similar situation where they were all thrown in jail for videotaping some guy getting robbed and then laughing about it. Seems to me that laws like that could do a lot of good.

[seabeyond]

8. isnt rape, gang rape the current entertainment for our guys? nt

[alarimer]

16. Well popular culture does depict a lot of non-consensual sex.

The implication is that it is okay to take it from someone who is drunk, high etc.

These fucking pigs who stood by and did not nothing need to spend some time in jail.

[w8liftinglady]

9. since every kid has a cell phone these days,they could have called 911 and stayed out of it

I'm curious as to why no one intervened..

[Dogmudgeon]

10. The culture of "Don't Snitch"

Violence tends to frighten those who witness it. Then we threaten to punish them for not coming forward.

Criminals are the only ones who take initiative: they threaten to severely punish witnesses if they DO report the crime, confident that no one will "snitch" for fear of being likewise victimized.

Solution: social support of crime witnesses.

But that would be Socialism.

--d!

[madmom]

11. This is one of the problems I have with this....

"Scientific studies over the last decade have shown that adolescent brain development occurs into the 20s, which makes it hard for teens to make decisions, criminologists say. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court took this research into consideration when it ruled that children could not be given the death penalty"

If they can't "make decisions" why are they allowed to vote, enlist in the military, drive a care among other things? I don't buy it, they are looking for an excuse for societies failures IMO.

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. '...makes it hard to make decisions...' is not the same as incapable of

making decisions. Teens make decisions - all people of all ages make decisions. But teens and younger make poorer decisions, on less experience, with less understanding of consequences. And, BTW, the decisions you list are those that require long consideration - voting, enlisting (though upon enlisting all decision making is removed from the enlistee) - or simple training - driving a car. Not the same thing at all as the impulsive decision making process normal to teens.

As discussed above, many there who were not affiliated with the rapists might have thought someone else already reported it - or were afraid of reprisal if they reported it - or didn't realize it was an assault (not knowing that in reality you just don't see a girl taking on several guys - that happens only in internet porn). They just don't have the life experience to correctly assess the situation. Also, did the uninvolved witnesses outnumber the actual rapists? Fear could play a big part, too - "what if they see me walking away? they might think I'm going to snitch". Did any of the rapists have weapons?

It's easy to condemn the witnesses who didn't intervene - from a distance.

[ljm2002]

13. Honestly I wonder if we can make generalizations...

...this horrific event occurred in Richmond, the most dangerous city in California and possibly in the U.S. There are many reasons for this, including poverty, gangs, and racial issues. This was quite likely a gang-related event. I lived in Albany for many years, which is just a hop over from Richmond, with El Cerrito in between. A lot of the trouble that happened at Albany High was due to Richmond youths who would come looking for trouble (not all of it, of course).

I am not saying this to bash Richmond or the people who live there; if you do live there you know what I'm talking about. Also -- the fact that 2 out of 4 people who were assigned to work security at the prom, checked out at 9pm due to "a prior commitment" -- as usual, those in authority let down the very people who need them the most. I'm not saying they could have prevented what happened, who knows? But it is typical of what happens in places like this -- it spirals down, and those with a duty towards the students don't take it seriously. The attitudes are contagious; the young people see that they are regarded as expendable, quite literally.

None of this justifies in any way what happened. That poor girl. The youths who took part in this are thugs, plain and simple, and need to be punished as severely as the law allows. And those who did nothing, need to have something happen as well -- although apparently they did not violate any laws, so it will amount to attempting to educate them.

[SIMPLYB1980]

15. Good I almost think the bystanders deserve

punishment in this case as well. Obviously no one around was willing to do what was right and stop that mess.

[dionysus]

17. we had an incident here where a mom confronted some people who were fighting with her teenage

daughter. a mob of a couple dozen beat and stabbed her to death right out in the street. the cops weren't able to get one witness. it's fucked up.

what happens a lot here is someone will get shot, by an enemy they KNOW, and they won't even tell the police who did it.

there is an amazing fear of retribution in the ghetto.

[SIMPLYB1980]

18. Same thing happens out in the trailer parks around here.

Some red neck gets his hate on with someone a shoot out will happen and no one will tell the cops what's up. The don't be a snitch rule has hurt a lot of people. Now I will admit I don't want to snitch, but in cases of rape, murder, or other horrible crimes I believe it perfectly acceptable. And should be something to be proud of.