How to make going to the park at night safer?

You really cant, yes you could carry some mace or a knife, but all they would need is a gun and they would have to outmatched. I live in NYC, in an okay but not completely safe neighborhood, and going out that late at night alone is just out of the question, everyone here knows that the only people who go to the park at that time are not people you want to be around alone. My husband did the same thing, he had a difficult childhood and even though hes safe now, he can sometimes feel really anxious and stressed at night when everythings dark and quiet, usually im up too because we both have some pretty bad insomnia, but when Im not, so he would take runs. That made me really nervous, him being out alone, so we came up with safer options, now he usually just goes right down the street to the 24 hour deli and hangs out with the owner or he jogs just on our block and takes our big dog with him, so I can look out and see him if I want to make sure hes safe, or he sits on the front steps and reads or thinks. Instead of going all the way to the park at night, find a closer place outside that can give you the same feeling, if you have a yard try finding a place there. Always have a cell phone on you, no matter what.