Many have spoken about the recent horrific incident that occurred at Richmond High on October 26th after a girl trying to leave her homecoming dance three hours early was brutally raped.  It was reported that as many as ten men participated in this vile act, and as alarming that a crowd of people stood by and watched this crime take place. I have chosen to speak on such a topic because I feel outreach is something important in a time of tragedy.   The hope of this commentary is not to sensationalize what occurred, instead I hope that by making a statement about this event it will stand as some support for the young woman who underwent such an unacceptable horror and encourage others to stand up for her as well.

It is unclear at this moment what the full legal consequences of this act will be.  Some perpetrators have been arrested and others may follow.  As for the crown that stood by, there are some legal issues concerning the age of the victim. I believe that witnessing such an event and doing nothing is a crime and should be called out and punished.   No punishment will erase what happened. Although the young victim is in the hospital recovering from her external wounds the internal wounds will take a lot longer than a few weeks to heal. 

    It is very alarming that so many people could stand by while such a brutal attack occurred. What drives people to ignore such brutality? Have people become so immune to or accepting of violence? It is certainly not the girl’s fault that such an act occurred. Revealing clothes, promiscuous behavior, and the like are not justifiable explanations or excuses for such a hateful act.  Nothing that shifts the blame onto the victim is acceptable.  Apparently, the person who finally did go for help had overheard other’s talking about the crime.  The fact that people could converse, laugh, point, and even videotape the event is a crushing indictment of the lack of concern and connection in our culture.

    Another upsetting aspect of the situation is the absence of authorities willing to look at their responsibility for what happened in this situation.  It was a homecoming dance and something went wrong in the supervision of the event. Some teachers claim that what happens outside of the school is not their responsibility or liability.  However, such a tragic event should force everyone not to look for excuses, but to try to look honestly at what went wrong so that any repetition will be prevented in the future. Those who watched and those who had no idea what was happening still have the moral obligation to stand up for this girl and acknowledge that what happened to her cannot be justified.  We must take real and positive action to educate ourselves and our community about the absolute need to protect and defend one another.  The education of people’s conscience is as important as learning how to read, write, or add figures. 

    When fights occur in relationships the best solution is for both partners to take responsibility for their part, apologize, and make amends. This is what I am learning in my participation in the BOM campaign. In this way, new boundaries can be established, new patterns of behavior explored, and the relationship may potentially move forward.   With this terrible incident a similar framework should be applied.  People should acknowledge the wrongs that happen in their midst, try and find ways to address what has gone awry, and continue to dialogue on what they need to do to improve the safety of all of our community.  Only then can we change and progress. I strongly support the need to oppose the violence that occurs around us; each of us must take responsibility to educate ourselves and to act in ways that promote a true sense of safety, caring and connection throughout our lives.