It is the gangs and typically youth that roam around downtown that cause the trouble. They have just about run most people out of the Circle Center Mall, defintely after dark.
A funny story, at least it is now: The wife and I have our anniversary third week of July. Last year, I made plans to go to the Slippery Noodle and stay at the Hampton Inn, two blocks away. Little did I know, the Expo was being heldat the same time. It was an experience to say the least, that will not be repeated.
Always arrange any cab rides before you step outside.
Now, about your strange experience, I was in the Philadelphia GPO one evening and a white man walked up to me and said "you're the first white man I've seen here at this time of night in 20 years".
I'm sure I wasn't the first who'd been there. After all, there are postal inspectors who actually go up in the lookout galleries at night ~ so it was more like he hadn't seen one, not that it hadn't happened.
BTW, that was during a period of time when all the Philadelphia supervisors wore white shirts and ties ~ virtually all of them were college graduates and a large percentage had had military service.
Traveling around the country over many years I think I've seen about everything that goes on after Midnight ~ or at 4 AM!
I'll guess here that after this shooting the city will react the way it's done in the past ~ with beatdowns. Somebody knows these guys.