I assisted with prepping dinner at a homeless shelter on the East End of Newport News, VA (the .. ahem .. most "urban" part of the city) a few years ago. When I left there at about 9 p.m., as I pulled onto the main thoroughfare back to civilization, I glanced off to my left and saw what must've been 30 of them gathered on a barely-lit street corner... just standing there. No bus stop.. no other activity... just a pack of loitering 'hood rats. I have never understood the propensity to loiter in large packs like that...
They're waiting for targets of opportunity. My theory as to why crime has skyrocketed since the 1960's is the implementation of housing assistance, food stamp and cash welfare programs. These programs mean that families no longer have to work to pay the bills. What's worse is that recipients don't have to maintain crime-free records to remain eligible. A fair number turn to crime to obtain the extras. But some of it is pure boredom. Without anything to do all day, some occupy their time with video games and TV, whereas others turn to attacking people for fun and profit.
I watched a BBC show called “Meet the Natives”, where they took stone-age tribesmen from a Pacific island, and brought them to stay with families in England, with all the modern conveniences. These tribesmen had a custom where, after the evening meal, all the men would gather and chew some local stimulant plant and shoot the breeze all night long. They couldn’t understand how a similar custom wasn’t observed by the people they stayed with. That is, until they were introduced to a local pub, which they recognized as the British version of their tribal custom.
Seems to me that standing around on the street corner at night is the ghetto version of this “tribal meeting”.
Thirty of them and all you have is a seven round magazine.
<...I have never understood the propensity to loiter in large packs like that...>
They are too afraid of each other to stand alone.
Waiting for prey.