Disclaimer: I live in Britain and I have a feeling levels of potential trouble where you live may be greater than anywhere I have lived. having said that I agree with a lot of the advice in this thread, in particular don’t try to appear to be something you are not.
My contribution is if you find you can’t avoid walking up to/ past an individual or group that seems threatening don’t speed up, if anything walk slowly, amble like you haven’t a care in the world. It sends the signal that you don’t find them scary and you are confident in yourself.
Why weren’t you aware of what you were moving into? If you’ve never been in this situation before, move. If you have you should already have some survival skills. That being said, keep a low profile. Are there other people there who are around your age? have medical issues also? Talk to them and find out how they handle their safety.
Make a mugger’s wallet to keep in your outer jeans pocket so if you get mugged, you just hand it over without losing anything of tremenjous value (but always keep some cash in there, maybe thirty bucks in 5s and singles). Keep your real wallet somewhere safe, like a hidden inner zip pocket on your jacket or a money belt.
White-bread suburbanite here, but I’ve recently been teaching a night class* in a sketchy area.
brickbacon’s item is a good one, and I’d like to add to it. If approaching a group and you want to backtrack, a good option is to either check your watch and utter a quick expletive, or pat your pockets as though something is missing. Then look disgusted with yourself and hurry the other way. imo, this is less likely to trigger a response than an obvious “you guys look dangerous and I’m retreating”.
Also a lesson my fellow teachers have learned the hard way. Your car should appear empty when someone looks in the windows. No GPS, fancy radios, or packages of any kind should be visible. Addicts will take anything.
*Basic computer skills class for folks returning to the workplace after long absences. Windows and MS Office can be overwhelming when the last thing you used in the workplace was a Selectric.
Be friendly and polite, don’t flash expensive items, don’t act like an idiot. It’s the same advice that will get you anywhere. You are moving in to a neighborhood, not a prison.
Grapefruit peelers? You been reading the Daily Mail again. I’ve lived in or visited plenty of places that don’t feel particularly safe after dark but nowhere that it’s not safe in broad daylight.
I’d say best not to initiate any conversation. Just give a quick slight nod of the head and return your attention to where it was. In some areas, it’s best to avoid any eye contact.