Trenton Gang Rape Investigation Faces Hurdles

The AP has a depressing story about the obstacles the Trenton, NJ police may be facing in its search for those involved in the reported gang rape of a 7-year-old girl whose 15-year-old sister sold her for sex. It says residents of the building where the assault allegedly took place are in a "quandary. If they identify the men responsible, they risk violent retaliation from the street gangs that stalk the neighborhood. 'We are mothers,' said tenant Shawntel Abner. 'If we aren't here, there is no one to watch our children. You are asking a lot of us. You are asking us to put our lives on the line.'"

The 15-year-old stepsister faces charges including promoting prostitution and aggravated assault (prosecutors hope to charge her as an adult) but no one involved in the gang rape has been identified. Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer said, "People absolutely know who these men are. If you were there and didn't participate, you really need to come forward. If you don't come forward, then you are going to be charged like you participated." Palmer also noted that none of the building's residents came forward with information about a 2009 drive-by shooting that killed a 13-year-old.

A woman who lives down the hall from where the gang rape reportedly occurred told the AP, "It's hard for us because there's drugs, crime and gangs. If we speak out, we never know what's going to happen. There could be someone kicking our door in and putting a gun in our face because they heard or saw that we were talking to someone. People here, they're thinking about their lives. It's not that they're being inconsiderate about the 7-year-old girl."