BALTIMORE — It’s Baltimore’s most extensive park. Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park is the second largest woodland park in the country consisting of more than 1,000 acres. There are trails, scenic views, bird watching, but its widely known for reasons other than its beauty.
“There is this stigma from like the 70’s and the 80’s that are just like dragging along,” said Erica Lewis, a board member with The Friends of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, an all-volunteer non-profit organization advocating for the park.
As mentioned in the Serial podcast and The Wire, the park was a place where bodies have been found.
For Lewis, it’s a place she brings her kids to play, to birthday parties, and Second Sundays, a monthly tradition in the summer that includes free miniature steam train rides, hikes, games, and visits to the Carrie Murray Nature Center.
However, the recent sexual assault of a 71-year-old woman in the park, has visitors taking new precautions.
“Now, if I'm coming to the park, I'll make sure that I'm with someone and not hiking in the more remote areas,” said Bridget McCusker, a 10-year board member.
She’s hopeful she won’t need to take these additional steps in the future, but she said that’ll require more collaboration with the city for support and safety.
“We need more police support or rangers in the park for sure,” said Gale Fletcher, a board member with the nearby Hunting Ridge Association.
“Why do you think there isn't?” WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii asked Fletcher.
“I don't think it's important to the city. I really don't. I mean, I hear all this stuff about Harborplace and, you know, Druid Hill Park and everything, it’s just not a priority for them,” Fletcher responded.
Last week, police made an arrest in this case, and a spokeswoman said they’ve increased patrols in and around the park. And yet, these members say they haven’t seen a continual presence.
READ MORE: Man accused of assaulting 71-year-old woman in Leakin Park arrested
“The park doesn't have staffing even to manage basic oversight and upkeep and maintenance and activities, and so, it all falls on volunteers instead, who do incredible work, they just can't do it all alone,” said Mike Cross-Barnet, executive director with The Friends of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park.
WMAR-2 News contacted Baltimore City Recreation and Parks about park rangers. In 2020, the agency announced it was restructuring the program following an investigation by the Baltimore City Office of the Inspector General into the destruction and removal of a Black Lives Matter mural.
Kevin Nash, the agency spokesperson, said they reinstated the program this past month with funding for 5 full-time positions. The current staffing level is at 3 park rangers and there are 4,000 acres of parkland and public space in Baltimore City. While Nash said park rangers play a crucial role in park safety, they don’t have law enforcement powers.
“When you see signs and gates, they're rusted and falling apart,” said Cross-Barnet. “That's almost like an invitation for bad actors that tells them, you know what, this place is not cared for, and you can do what you want here.”
Beyond safety, the group wants investment. They want the trash cleaned, the gates repaired, and a promise that this massive park, which makes up over a quarter of all of Baltimore's parkland, will no longer take a back seat.
“We need our councilman. We need our mayor. We need our governor to look at this greenery and say that this is not going to be just a typical place for Baltimore City, but this is going to be a place that families, our seniors, our older adults, our children deserve to be and be safe,” said Lewis.
There’s a safety meeting addressing the assault on Tuesday, November 28 between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Cahill Fitness and Wellness Center (4001 Clifton Ave). Baltimore City Rec and Parks and the Baltimore City Police Department will be there to hear concerns and address questions from community members. Click here for more information.