2 Community Walks Set For Inwood Hill Park To Reclaim Space

INWOOD, NY — The Upper Manhattan neighborhood is responding with unity after three women were attacked in Inwood Hill Park on Wednesday. In the wake of the attacks, residents have planned two community walks to travel through Inwood Hill Park and reclaim the space.

Both walks are open to the public.

The first community-organized walk is called "Take Back The Light," which will set off at 6 p.m. Friday in Inwood Hill Park at the Shorakpak rock by the soccer field. Organizers are asking community members to bring kids, dogs, and candles.

"This tragedy should not have happened. Now we all feel we can no longer use the park," reads a description for the march. "This is the park where we raise our children, walk our dogs, and live our lives...We choose to live in a city where all people from all races and cultures can come together safely in the park. Our park."

For those who can't make the Friday evening walk, or simply want to return to Inwood Hill Park a second time to show support, the Community Walk Inwood Hill Park will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Starbucks at Broadway and Dyckman Street.

From there, the group will set off through the park to show solidarity with the women attacked.

"It is OUR park. Let's show some solidarity for our community members who have been harmed and work together in love and not feat," said the organizer of the march Annette Fernandez. "It would be easy for everyone to retreat in fear or say how dangerous the park is. The fact of the matter is that the more people use our spaces, the safer they are. It's also an opportunity to bring people together. The parks uptown are a unifier in an otherwise segregated neighborhood."

• Read More: After Inwood Park Attacks, Pol Makes Call For Safety Improvements

Fernandez is also the founder of the Washington Heights Women's Walking Crew, a group that meets regularly to enjoy the expansive Upper Manhattan park space.

"This is how I think people need to show up for their neighborhoods: in community, in solidarity and leading with love, not fear," Fernandez told Patch. "This community is with them (the women that were attacked) and ready to help with anything they need."

To reiterate, here are the details for the two scheduled walks:

• Take Back The Light: 6 p.m. Friday, meet in Inwood Hill Park at the Shorakpak rock by the soccer field
• Community Walk Inwood Hill Park: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, meet at the Starbucks on Dyckman Street.

Organizers of the Take Back The Light walk have also invited Upper Manhattan elected officials to join the march, so far Sen. Robert Jackson has confirmed he'll take part.

There have not been any arrests in the three attacks that happened Wednesday. You can read the details here: 3 Women Attacked While Walking In Inwood Hill Park: Police.