Sorry to hear about the OP getting assaulted and robbed. That really sucks.

Here in Minneapolis we have Trailwatch rides made up of groups of volunteers who ride the Greenway on just about every evening of the week (a MUP situated in an old railroad trench that runs W/E through South Minneapolis). Trailwatch has a mandate to ride, observe, and report. They communicate with various community leaders (neighborhood associations, ministers, imams, etc) and have a good relationship with local law enforcement. Maybe something like this would work on your SART. We've found that many cyclists are happy to volunteer their time in order to make the trails a little bit safer.