Three new streetlights have been added and 20 streetlights have been repaired in North Park to make the neighborhood safer in the aftermath of several attacks on women in recent months, City Council President Todd Gloria announced Friday.
New lights have also been added around North Park Community Park on Lincoln Avenue and Oregon Street, and broken street lights throughout the neighborhood are being repaired. Gloria also said lights at the tennis courts on Lincoln and Howard avenues will be left on all night.
Gloria said he's attended several community meetings in North Park in recent weeks where residents asked repeatedly that lights be added and fixed. He said more lights will be added in the near future, and asked residents to report additional broken lights to his council office.
Volunteers from the business improvement district North Park Main Street have been walking the neighborhood to look for broken lights, he said. Existing lightbulbs in Lincoln Avenue streetlights are also being replaced with adjustable LED bulbs that emit more light.
Gloria added he's working with the San Diego Unified School District to add lights to the Alba School on Oregon Street, and is looking into whether the San Diego Police Department can add security cameras as well.
"Let the message be really clear to the predator who is preying on women in North Park, your days are numbered and you're certainly not going to get away with this much longer, but in the meantime we're going to make sure people are well protected and the community can feel as safe as possible," he said.
Gloria did not immediately know how much the lighting improvements cost, but said he was able to secure city funding because safety is a priority.
Six attacks have occurred since mid-June. In each of the assaults, a woman walking alone at night was violently attacked by an unknown suspect or suspects, according to San Diego police.
Mid-City Division Police Capt. David Nisleit said Friday he did not have an update on the search for the person or people carrying out the attacks.
"But I truly believe that improving the lighting in this area will be a great help for us, and it will also be a great help for the community," he said.
The most recent of the attacks occurred one week ago in an alley off the 3900 block of Idaho Street. A woman was attacked from behind, punched in her face and lost consciousness, according to San Diego police Sgt. Shawn Takeuchi.
Several witnesses came to the injured woman's aid after she was heard screaming, and the suspect ran off, Takeuchi said.
Police described the suspect in that incident as Hispanic, between 5-feet-6- and 6-feet, wearing a red shirt and dark pants.
On July 20, another woman was attacked from behind in the 2900 block of Lincoln Avenue. She was also punched in the face and was knocked unconscious, which left her with significant injuries, Takeuchi said.
A similar assault was reported a block away early on June 24, according to the sergeant.
Attempted sexual assaults on Meade Avenue near 33rd Street and on Lincoln Avenue near Oregon Street were reported on June 17 and June 21, respectively, according to police. Both victims managed to fight off their attackers.
The first incident in the series dates back to June 11, when a woman was knocked unconscious in the 3900 block of 33rd Street, Takeuchi said.
