A Toronto woman who posted on her Instagram story about being attacked on Martin Goodman Trail by three men after leaving a Cherry Beach rave near midnight on July 1, said she is reluctant to report the incident.
Beach parties are one of the city’s favourite festivals during the summer, but some Torontonians have expressed safety concerns as night time commuters.
“I faced three people that I assumed they could be party folks, but when I passed by them they assaulted me by touching my legs when I was on bike, and when I got home I found I lost my expensive bike lock,” Veni told Now Toronto.
“That was the reason I went back during the day to find it since I was kinda sure those guys grabbed it when they touched me and my bike. [I biked there] since the bridge is closed and is one way in the jungle with no light,” she continued.
When she was trying to find her lock, one of the same men approached her and unzipped his pants.
“He grabbed my bike, I pulled him back and started to scream at him. His eyes were wide! He obviously was on drugs. The fight gets physical, he tries to grab my bike, then me, but the only thing he got successfully was my necklace. I jumped on the bike and biked to Yonge Street with no stop! I was panicked, crying and because of screaming I lost my voice for two days,” Veni said.
Despite the chaos, Veni was hesitant to file a police report because she thought one of the men who harassed her was Indigenous.
“As a good citizen, I know I have to report but as a human, I felt his pain and anger! Imagine you see people partying on a private beach area that costs $65! And people are biking on your land and you have no right to be in Toronto,” she said.
She suggests people don’t bike alone and if they do, they should bike on the same road as the cars.
However, Martin Goodman Trail has a full covering of plants and trees between the road and beach. There are no lights either.
Toronto Police Service (TPS) told Now Toronto they haven’t seen an uptick in incidents like this since the summer started, but stress if anyone who experiences an emergency while traveling back home late at night from summer events to call 9-1-1 immediately.
As for increasing security measures on blocked off biking paths in the city, “it is something that has been done before,” a TPS spokesperson told Now Toronto.
However, the ultimate decision to enforce more public safety, particularly on the Martin Goodman Trail, is up to the city.
“The City of Toronto is continually working to upgrade existing multi-use trails and install new trails to improve cyclist safety. Anyone with concerns about the condition of a trail should contact 311 Toronto. Public safety concerns should be reported to Toronto Police Service,” the city told Now Toronto in an email.
More information on community safety can be found on the City’s Public Safety & Alerts website.
