Park Petition Signed By Over 18,000
A petition calling for the installation of CCTV and appropriate lighting over an approved route through Alexandra Park has gained over 18,000 digital signatures in less than two weeks. A related public Facebook group, Make Alexandra Park Safe, has collected nearly 2,000 members.
These initiatives coincide with two serious assaults in the park within the last few days. On Sunday 21st March a teenage girl was sexually assaulted, leading to the arrest of a 14-year-old boy; a few days later, a woman also reported an attack, and a 26-year-old man from St Leonards was held on a potential public order charge.
The petition, hosted by Change.Org, was started by Hastings born-and-bred resident Claire Noble in reaction to a serious assault on her “best friend” Kay Early in the park last June. Ms Noble says that the male assailant attacked Ms Early from behind while she was walking her dog on a well-frequented path, punching and kicking her until she almost lost consciousness, and causing significant head injuries and other bruising. It was daylight, and there were joggers and people strolling nearby: a group of them managed to chase him away. However, she was told that the police investigation into the attack was dropped due to lack of evidence which appropriate CCTV footage could have provided.
An ‘Indigo’ path
The petition, which will be delivered in due course to Hastings Borough Council who own the park, refers to many robberies, sexual assaults and other attacks that have taken place in recent years both during daylight and after dark, and suggests that the installation of an ‘indigo’ path, running centrally from the top of the park to the bottom under full surveillance by CCTV, would act as both protection and deterrent. The aim is for women, younger people, and anyone else who is vulnerable, to feel safe walking alone through the park.
Lead councillor for Community Safety at Hastings Borough Council, Cllr Paul Barnett, who is also co-chair of the Safer Hastings and Rother Partnership, made a direct connection between the murder of Sarah Everard, abducted from around London’s Clapham Common earlier this month, and several attacks in Alexandra Park over the last year.
“Last week was a shocking reminder of the level of violence against women, wherever you live, whatever your role,” he said. “For many women this came as no surprise, sadly, as they experience harassment, abuse and inappropriate behaviour from men regularly.
“For many men, including me, this was a wake-up call. We all need to listen harder to how women feel and what they tell us. We all need to consider how we can change our behaviour to make this a thing of the past. I was struck by how many women said that only men can make the change we all need.
“My first action will be to listen with real interest to what women are saying about the park, and then to find resources to implement the recommendations that come forward as a result.”
• The Change.org petition can be found at http://chng.it/gyLjqJVb
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply