[RobertoG]

"but apparently in that area, just being out and about on foot was enough of a reason to be considered suspicious."

Maybe, this is an American thing. Some colleagues of me explain how, in a job trip to Atlanta, they decide to go back to the hotel walking. They could see the hotel from where they were, so, why not?

Sure enough, the police stopped them and wanted to know what was wrong.

They have a lot of fun explaining it.

[JustSomeNobody]

Sometimes police will stop people who look the complete opposite of suspicious just to make sure they don't need help.

[RobertoG]

Yeah... but because they are walking..

I think that say something about how the city is designed.

[ethanbond]

Younger US cities aren't designed for walking so yes it looks weird when you're walking around.

I don't know anything about Atlanta but in Arizona, per parent comment's story, for example, it's strange to see people walking around because it's way too hot in 80% of the state to walk around for leisure. On top of that, the towns are so spread out that it makes no sense to walk from point A to point B.

So if people are walking around, they're doing so aimlessly in a climate that is not really conducive to doing so. It seems reasonable to think they're either in trouble or up to trouble.

[coldtea]

>I don't know anything about Atlanta but in Arizona, per parent comment's story, for example, it's strange to see people walking around because it's way too hot in 80% of the state to walk around for leisure.

I don't think it has anything to do with the temperature.

You see tons of people walking around in cities in equally hot or hotter climates, from Cairo to the tropics...

[ethanbond]

EDIT: Leaving my comment for posterity, but on second thought with a bit of reframing, I think you're right. If it weren't quite as hot out, people probably still wouldn't walk around all that much. This can probably be attributed to the horrible experiment that is The American Suburb.

ORIGINAL: You're overlooking a lot of important factors.

Distance: I highly doubt people in Cairo are walking 10+ miles to the nearest market.

Attire: If walking around in the summer in Arizona raises suspicion, I cringe to imagine what suspicions would be raised by doing so in long flowing robes that cover skin head to toe.

Sweat: In my experience in the tropics, being a bit sweaty is quite normal and acceptable. In The South (the southeast) it seems more acceptable, but in the dry Arizona desert, it's not quite normal to be drenched in sweat.

Air conditioning: AC is everywhere in Arizona. As such, the mode of survival is getting from AC to AC as quickly as possible. If AC weren't everywhere, people would probably find sweat more acceptable, but... it is.

Skin tone: I'm pasty white and was born and raised in Arizona. In my travels to the tropics I never once ran into a person as white as me who enjoyed walking in the heat.

All of these together make walking pretty rare. Sure, if people didn't have another option besides walking you'd have a population of fit, well-tanned Arizonians all over the streets. Markets would probably be built closer to homes and suburbs would shrink. People wouldn't need cars and would probably be more comfortable without AC 24/7. As a result, a bit of sweatiness would come to be expected and wouldn't be a source of self-awareness. But that's not the reality of that region.

[cylinder]

The whole point is that walking is seen as highly unusual. We understand that the reason is poor city planning. We don't need to empathize with the cop. It's just ridiculous it's gotten to this point.

[alphapapa]

The only parts of cities like that that are actually "designed" are the downtown and a few special developments. The rest just grows as people move and buy land and open businesses.

Most people drive cars, and most people prefer having some room to breathe, and there's no shortage of space, so lots are made big enough to have parking and empty space, etc.

There's not some kind of anti-walking design conspiracy here.

[TulliusCicero]

This is incorrect. American cities are usually designed around car dominance, at the expense of walking. Examples include:

- Primary metric for road design and evaluation being "level of service", which means "how many cars can move through here in a given period of time". Pedestrians are second-class citizens.

- Minimum parking requirements subsidize car use and make urban environments pedestrian-unfriendly by spreading out points of interest.

- Zoning regulations mandating that most of a city's residential area consist of detached single-family homes on large lots, mixed-use generally limited or non-existent.

- Under-investment in transit (transit use is generally paired with walking at the start and end).

- Freeways running all the way into and through cities split urban areas into sections that are difficult to navigate between by walking.

I could go on and on about how American cities are hostile to walking, but that covers some of the big ones. It's true that these decisions have or had popular support, so it's not a conspiracy, but it was certainly designed.

[greenleafjacob]

That stop is illegal under Terry if the police lack reasonable suspicion that the person is both armed and presently dangerous.

[aninhumer]

I'd guess that in the context the parent is talking about, "stop" just means driving up and talking to them, not actively detaining them.

[JustSomeNobody]

Yes, this is what I meant.

[wil421]

Really depends where you are walking in Atlanta and if you look out of place. Where they walking in the road or look confused?

Certain areas can be no loitering zones. Other areas are known drug zones and you can be arrested for going there without a clear purpose.

[marcusgarvey]

>Other areas are known drug zones and you can be arrested for going there without a clear purpose.

How could this be a lawful arrest?

[wil421]

Let's say your a drug addict but don't happen to have anything on you, they look you up and your background has prior arrest for drugs. Maybe you look like your on drugs and have all the tell tale signs. In this case your gonna go to jail.

What if you're a tourist or someone who got lost trying to go to find Ikea. They would hassle you and most likely give you a lecture then lead you out of the area.

These types of areas have signs. If you are interested why they have such areas watch Snow on the Bluff, it's a very accurate depiction.

[lgieron]

> Maybe you look like your on drugs and have all the tell tale signs. In this case your gonna go to jail.

Wait, the illegal possesion laws extend to the drugs being already in your blood?

[slededit]

Public intoxication is a crime.

[YZF]

About 10 years ago myself and a few co-workers (from Canada) travelled to Wilmington, Delaware on business. We check in to a hotel in downtown Wilmington and inquired as to the nearest restaurant. We were given some pointers, told it wasn't too far, and decided to walk. It was after business hours and the streets were pretty deserted, no cars or pedestrians. 10 minutes later a police cruiser pulls up besides us and the policemen inside inquire to what we're up to and then inform us this isn't a safe place to be walking around and tell us to head back to our hotel. After that they pulled up in front of some random house and one policeman was taking cover behind the cruiser while another was knocking on the door. Both of them had their hands on their guns as far as I recall.

Anyhow, we ended up eating in the hotel...

Walking in the USA. :)

That said there are cities or at least parts of cities in the US that are no problem. I've walked around San Francisco, New York City, Seattle amongst others and always felt perfectly safe. I think one big factor is public transport. If you have public transport you have people walking; at least to it and back.

[maroonblazer]

There are parts of downtown Atlanta that are dangerous to walk in, especially at night. The police may have thought the colleagues needed help.