We slept near a shotgun in the hood and murder capital I lived in. North Memphis, TN. People would try to steal stuff out the car in the middle of night. You could get jacked on the street, too, so better carry weapons. That said, our default reaction to people coming near our house was to watch them (where they saw us watching them), say hello if they're passing by, ask who they were if they approached, and merely be prepared to act if we had to. Most people that approached were harmless: asking about something (esp directions), trying to bum money off us, sell to us, etc.

Ice-T's reaction sounds like it has something to do with him or the culture of wherever he's from. Gangs like you said with their "it's the jungle mindset." They default to and embrace violence in many situations where it's unnecessary. They push thug culture in Memphis, too, but most people avoid violence where possible. Probably why it went down at some point despite lots of folks having a hard time finding work. I don't know current numbers, though, since I live outside Memphis now.

"That being said, if I ever need to put a hit out on Ice-T, I will make sure I am wearing an Amazon vest."

Exactly! Someone from his background should know you have to watch everybody. What symbols or colors they wear don't prove a thing about how good they are. They sometimes might tell you how bad they are, though.