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Was it that amazing dress and perfect pair of heels you found to match that you remember most about your first high school homecoming dance? Or, maybe it was that moment when the guy you had your eye on for a month in math class finally coaxed you to the dance floor that stands out in your mind.

For one unfortunate 15-year-old California student, any would-be nostalgic memory of her first homecoming will be forever marred by an appalling assault that involved twenty or more of her peers.

According to police, a 15-year-old freshman at Richmond High in Richmond, California was raped and beaten by at least seven individuals while many others watched for more than two hours - some even used cell phones to carelessly snap pictures and even messaged others to join them in the school's dimly lit courtyard to watch the disgusting display. No one called 911.

Hours later, a girl who heard another group talking about the rape called the police, according to an ABC News report. Responders found the victim in critical condition, naked from the waist down and semi-conscious.

California law requires citizens to report crimes against children, but it only applies to victims 14-years-old and younger. Because the victim is 15, the gawkers may walk away without facing criminal charges. Seven people, CNN.com reported, have been arrested and charged with rape, sexual battery and penetration with a foreign object.

But what happens to the ones who stood back and watched as the group of horrible individuals took advantage of the young girl? The attack itself and the mentality of the assailants are almost unimaginable, but it seems even more difficult to fathom that none of the onlookers displayed even a shred of moral integrity that night.

These were not passers-by; they heard a girl was being raped and they deliberately made a show of it. They ultimately helped to dehumanize this girl and made her a victim of gang rape. Is that not aiding and abetting? Are the alleged pictures they took not considered child pornography?

Sadly, watching and cheering on the rape of a 15-year-old girl is not a crime in California, but it certainly is a crime against humanity. No legitimate excuse can be made for anyone involved.

The only victim of the Richmond High gang rape was the girl who was forced to endure it. Taking blame from the participants and bystanders by placing it on societal fears, peer pressure or the influence of violent video games is absurd.

Surely, we have not yet become too desensitized a nation to try to find any plausible reason behind such a heinous disregard for another human being - a reason for gang rape does not exist.

Hopefully, as the investigation continues and the $20,000 reward offered by police lures in more substantial information, some charge can be found for those who helped to applaud a group of despicable rapists.

Each and every individual who participated or witnessed the brutal attack of the young California girl showed a complete disregard for humanity and clearly deserves to be removed from society for some time.

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