Charlene — I am 69 years old and white, and grew up in Oakland, CA, as the minority in a sea of black and Asian and Chicano. I was treated exactly as you describe, and always blamed for “being too attractive,” “being in the wrong place,” and all of that crap. I fought back, and so should you. Buy a powerful little stun gun online and don’t hesitate to use it. Usually just the sound of it sends any living thing running for its life. Wear a loud coach’s whistle on a cord around your neck and use it. Buy pepper spray/tear gas and carry it in your hand, and use it on anyone who invades your space violently. Turn and face them down and scream bloody murder, like a crazy woman (you would be quite surprised how often this works to frighten them into running away, thinking you must be possessed, or some such). Do not accept this — these cowardly herd-mentality fools have no right. When I was attacked as the only (new) white girl in high school in 1965, it was a woman like you who saved my ass, and I will be forever grateful to her, and to all the women who have gone before us in this fight. By the way, I live 20 miles from the nearest town and in a county where there are about 5 people per square mile, and I still can’t go out walking at 4am, because we have cougars and bobcats and moose and bears and rattlesnakes, all of whom would love to have me for breakfast. I do miss Oakland, and also LA, but in the end I prefer the non-human predators (and I carry a gun). I know lots of women who tell me “Oh, no, I would never go to that neighborhood.” Of course they are snobs, and they also live in a bubble, but they don’t experience what you have described, so I guess that’s always another choice. But it’s a choice I chose not to make, preferring to stay in the real world and being aware and also well-armed. And please, take out the headphones and stop looking down at the phone, and become the consciously aware creature you were meant to be. You will be amazed at how often you will sense what is coming before it reaches you, and be able to take evasive action. Duck into a store, cross the street, hail a taxi, whatever. And please get out of Chicago. There are much friendlier places.