I don't think it's appropriate to say "only in America" when far far worse things happen in many other nations. Some of them being prominently Muslim...

It's also kind'a sick to laugh about it...imo

YES ,BUT WHERE DID THE 911 HIJACKERS COME FROM?????????????????????????

Even as a victim I would not wish death so lightly ever on any human.

What is wrong with the kids who did this? How can we prevent it from happening again with other kids in similar situation?

I would not say far worse. American can be just as brutal and unforgiving as other nations.

the only sure way would be to kill all kids.
kinda defeats the purpose of protecting kids though...

I have yet to see a public beheading in the streets or dead enemy combatants hung and lit on fire... Not to mention sanctioned beatings on young girls just for attending school.

I guess you do not remember our history here at all then.

Witch trials-women men children burned and drowned and other things
Slavery- dismemberment, deflowering of virgins, death at all ages, hangings where they burned them also, etc...
Placing people in an electric chair and frying them in the name of justice, sick
Etc...

That is only a few of ours.

Never think Americans are better than other in the world because we are not.

I have yet to see a public beheading in the streets or dead enemy combatants hung and lit on fire... Not to mention sanctioned beatings on young girls just for attending school.

Whatever you want to think is fine by me, but you're talking about a past that's history, not having much to do with present day American sensibilities. If you want to condemn this nation, that's your right which has been bought and paid for by the sacrifice of others who DID believe it worthy and just...

Try going to almost any Muslim country and voicing an opinion that states they are evil and unjust, see where that gets you...

Sorry to the op for straying off the topic though...

Whatever you want to think is fine by me, but you're talking about a past that's history, not having much to do with present day American sensibilities. If you want to condemn this nation, that's your right which has been bought and paid for by the sacrifice of others who DID believe it worthy and just...

Try going to almost any Muslim country and voicing an opinion that states they are evil and unjust, see where that gets you...

Sorry to the op for straying off the topic though...

I cannot believe someone mentioned America is as brutal as other Countries. That is disgraceful, knowing what other's go through in other Countries that don't happen here. Well they are not supposed to. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/dad_held_in_honor_killing_try_b7SXgcUozKVQCk486aYApL

http://www.helium.com/items/1135411-legal-abuse-of-women-in-saudi-arabia

What these boys did was horrible, the difference is the girl in America won't be punished with 200 lashes or execution. Let's not confuse the issue here and criticize America.

Noone criticized America so that is untrue.

We are human just like all other humans with the same tendencies to brutality as all humans in this world.

Understanding that we are the same humans as all other humans in the world is somehow UNAmerican?

Hmmm sounded like it to me! But whateva

These boys need to be punished very severely for their horrible act. The people that watched should be ashamed and disgusted with themselves for watching this happen.

I agree on all counts. I also believe that parents of minors should have to face consequences as well... Someone "raised" these monsters...

I especially agree too on the "whateva" part concerning the dialog with with that particular poster.

News of the gang rape, robbery and beating of a 15-year-old girl at Richmond High School's homecoming dance was shocking and horrific. The particulars of the story are terrifying: Police say nearly two dozen people saw the assault and didn't report it, and many took pictures and joined in.

Shocking, horrifying, terrible - yes. A reflection on Richmond? Proof that the young men who assaulted her are "animals"? No.

What happened in Richmond could happen anywhere. In fact, the last time we heard about a vicious attack like this, it was a comatose 17-year-old girl who was being sexually assaulted by a group of young men at a De Anza College baseball team party in 2007.

Once again, it took a woman - in that case, three young women - to alert authorities. That case got lost in legal limbo. Unfortunately, it shows that this hideous mob mentality can take over in any town and at any economic level.

The people of Richmond have responded to the incident with fury and disgust. No one has tried to blame the victim. The students at Richmond High School have shown maturity beyond their years - participating in rallies against violence and pressing school authorities about security.

So far, there is every indication that both the community and the justice system are treating this case with the seriousness it deserves. These are all things that reflect well, not poorly, on Richmond.

As for the young men involved in the attack, it may be comforting for us to dismiss them as "animals" or "monsters." But these cases pop up over and over again, with different names but the same sordid details. That suggests common threads of hideous human behavior - the way we behave in mobs, our unwillingness to "get involved," our willingness to hurt other people - that we need to recognize in ourselves, even as we condemn other people.

Over the next several months, the students at Richmond High School will need plenty of support - and yes, increased security - to handle their feelings of trauma and distress. The officials and adults around them must provide what they need. And the rest of us must look at our own

Hey, I've got a novel idea. Why don't we have a trial before we sentence the suspects to death? You know, just in case we don't have all the facts. Just a thought.

That suggests common threads of hideous human behavior - the way we behave in mobs, our unwillingness to "get involved," our willingness to hurt other people - that we need to recognize in ourselves, even as we condemn other people.

I am more scared of people who say "they are animals, I would never do something like that. I would intervene."

Because truthfully, if you look at these kinds of cases, the people involved are generally just "normal" people. I'm not talking about the initial rapists........I'm talking about the bystanders and others who knew what was going on and did nothing.

If you've never seen "An American Crime" it's a interesting movie. Sort of looks into this as an entire neighborhood of young people knew of, and participated in, the brutal treatment of one girl kept in some woman's basement for a couple of months. There are many, many cases throughout history where people have stood by and let atrocities happen. Don't be so sure you wouldn't do the same.