Dealing with aggressive men around Main St area?
I want to be as sensitive and understanding as possible when I write this, as I understand that many of these people are dealing with very serious mental and addiction struggles and deserve care, however, I need general advice on awareness and safety. Grew up around central street area, family moved when I left for college and now live right off Main street near Albany Care. As I'm new to this specific area, I'm not sure if this is a regular occurance, or if it's gotten worse, however, it's rare for me to even be able to walk down Main st without having uncomfortable experiences with men who are clearly dealing with mental illness or addiction, and I believe are in the care of the facilities in that area. One of them I see almost every day, I gave him some money once and he reacted like it wasn't enough, and always asks when he sees me. I also like to do daily walks on Main to the Northwestern area and back, and I often pass by a group of these men on the street and they stare and make uncomfortable remarks as I pass. In the past month I've been home from college for break, I have witnessed the police being called (by other people), to deal with these men for sometimes harassing people, usually outside the Jewel or Walgreens on Main multiple times. A few days ago, I was by the Trader Joes and some guy was screaming at the man who stands in front of the Trader Joes, saying "you're lucky I don't have my knife". I went to a restaurant near Northwestern around 9 pm last week, and there was this guy standing outside the door muttering to himself and calling me and every other woman who passed "sexy". As I sat inside waiting for me food he would come in and out of the store harassing the women inside, including the girl working at the counter. There's more stories over the past month but this post would be too long. I know that they have women in their care, but I've only seen this issue with men, and as I explained, I am empathetic to what they might be going through but as a young woman I can't really afford to give benefit of the doubt. As I've grown up in Evanston, I have experienced harassment and sometimes being followed by random men on the street since I was young, but never in this way or capacity. I'm not necessarily scared or looking to report anything, however I just want to know others experiences or advice for staying alert and avoiding an issue, or some more background information on why these men are here since I'm new to the area and don't know the history. I have read some threads here about how the conditions at Albany Care aren't the best, and I definitely take that into consideration. Thanks and any input is appreciated. Also, feel free to tell me if I am being an a**hole.