Anita:

1. it’s a small town, and they go everywhere (they actually live in the center). It’s not like their purpose is to terrorize people, but it’s one of the things they do because they are enjoying it and they can. There are robberies sometimes, but not on a daily basis, and there are no murders.
My parents would have wanted to move to a different country when they were younger but they spoke no English and they couldn’t afford moving. This is the place where they had a house to live in and jobs. Now they sometimes regret not trying to move. I wouldn’t call it a warzone, I think that would be exaggerated. From the outside it doesn’t seem to be a dangerous place. Maybe it only is to people like me who are not the “tough” kind.

2. I don’t know of anybody in particular, but I’m sure they’ve also had such encounters. I believe some might have been afraid, but I’ve heard stories of classmates who had an aggressive attitude towards these bullies, some beat them, some scared them away, or became friends with them.

And there is a correction to what I had written in my former reply. I forgot to mention that I’ve had two girlfriends for a short time each, and I felt that one of them genuinely loved me, accepted me and appreciated me for what I was, but the relationship didn’t work out and since then I’ve been single. Not having been able to find a girlfriend as easily as others do has also been a major factor that contributed for my lack of self-confidence.