‘I wouldn’t come out here alone’: Hamilton women change behaviours, take precautions amid spate of trail attacks

Hamilton resident Samantha Molson used to run the Chedoke Radial Trail with headphones in her ears blasting music or a podcast as she sped up the edge of the escarpment.

But after a couple encounters in which strangers got a little too close for comfort," as well as some recent attacks on women on the city's walking trails, she's stopped.

It's been scary," said Molson, who now only walks the trails either with a friend or her three-year-old rescue dog, Billie. I wouldn't come out here alone."

Molson was one of several women taking to the popular trail Saturday morning, just a day after Hamilton police announced that an unknown man on a bike had sexually assaulted two different women on the path near Chedoke Golf Course on Thursday afternoon.

The suspect in the pair of incidents is described as a tall, white man with brown hair who was wearing all black, carrying an orange backpack and riding on a dark-coloured mountain bike.

The latest incidents come after several others on Hamilton trails since June, including an attack in July that saw a woman dragged off a trail by an unidentified man and assaulted in the area of Upper Paradise Road and Donnici Drive.

The attacks have spurred safety-based community events as well as a pledge from police for an increased presence on trails across the city, including the Chedoke Trail, the Bruce Trail and other popular walking paths.

On Friday, Det. Hannah Carter with the sexual assault unit told The Spectator that throughout the weekend, residents could expect to see officers walking the trails and riding their bikes as well as utilizing the mounted unit and the force's off-road vehicles.

Carter said by flooding the area" with officers, the police force is hoping to reduce these types of incidents," while also connecting with community members to hopefully identify suspects in the attacks.

We take these (crimes) very seriously," she added.

The Spectator visited the Chedoke Radial Trail just before noon on Saturday and did not see any police officers present on the trail, in the adjacent parking lot at the golf course or near the Dundurn Stairs.

Walking westbound on the trail with her daughter and her sister, Hamilton resident Liz Cabral said she has never seen a police officer walking or biking on the trail.

It would be nice to see them out here on their bikes," said Cabral, who regularly uses the trail on weekends. But it's not the case and I don't know why."

Some residents have opted to take their own precautions to help them feel safer while using the city's trail networks.

Cabral said she never walks the trail alone and has stopped her once-ritualistic morning runs due to heightened fears of who she may come across. She also carries a walking stick for protection, while her sister keeps a personal emergency alarm in her bag.

Molson keeps her house keys easily accessible just in case she needs them to defend herself and never leaves the house without her cellphone.

But those precautions shouldn't be necessary, said Melissa Kelly, who organized the Keep Women Safe Walk' earlier this month.

We should be able to walk, ride our bikes and exercise without feeling that something bad is going to happen," said Kelly. We have the most beautiful trails in our city and we should be able to enjoy them."

Kelly said news of the latest attacks, which took place less than a week after her event, left her feeling shocked, disgusted and angry."

She called on both the city and police to do more to help all residents - not just women - feel more secure while using the Chedoke Trail.

She suggested the installation of surveillance cameras on the entrance and exit points of the path as well as a more permanent" police presence.

These men that are doing these acts, they need to know that they are not going to get away with it and that their behaviour is not welcomed," Kelly added.

Vincent Kuber, founder of Steel Town Athletic Club, told The Spectator that the attacks have deeply affected the running community as a whole and has retraumatized members that have experienced incidents in the past.

He said the group, which organizes inclusive runs throughout Hamilton, saw their turn out numbers drop quite a bit" in the fallout from the attacks earlier this summer. But some members have started to return to the trails.

He believes a more proactive" police presence on the trail would likely help reduce or even eliminate the risk of future incidents.

But until police find a better way to support the community, we'll continue to be that safe space for folks and keep everyone running," he said.

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com