The first thing I saw when I heard about this terrible, terrible incident, was someone writing "if it were the other way around all hell would have risen." That immediately stopped me in my tracks. I don't get how people are still seeing color when there were four humans torturing another human.

What affected me the most about this is the utter lack of humanity in this whole situation. As someone who is pursuing a career in psychology and public health, I think about the greater good of humanity constantly. Helping others and preventing illness is what I want to do. This situation fed into both of those things.

The victim of this awful crime was an 18 year old boy, who, according to a police official, has "mental health challenges." Whether this a psychological or neurological disorder, the four assailants were taking advantage of someone who may not have known what was about to happen. Nothing about this incident is excusable.

I hope the victim's family is able to find solace in the coming months after the trial and is able to heal after what has happened.

Humans can be disgusting and after things like this happen, it's a hard wake-up call to realize this. Hate is still around all of us, there just needs to be a way to combat it.