I lived in St. Louis for a while, 3/4 mile west of
the River, near the library. Not a great neighborhood:
drug dealers, pan handlers, and I am sure druggies and thieves.

More than once, I had a bus driver ask where I lived,
and he drove off his route, to where I lived,
as he explained that it was very dangerous at night.

It was my good luck, nothing ever happened. And actually I
think there are worse neighborhoods in St Louis, and
certainly in other cities.

There are a few first-hand stories I could tell, but
suffice it to say, that some of the best people I ever
met, were in St. Louis. Those good people mostly lived
in my building; they were old, poor, black, and
some were handicapped.

OTOH,Young people are always a concern. And mob can
include mature people who are dangerous.

If you do not have a concealed carry permit, get one;
you may need it if things turn bad. Some retired LEO's
get concealed carry automatically.

For bad times in a city, consider body armor, which you
already own? In addition, some thin, form fitted,
fore arm guards, analogous to soccer shin guards.
If you make them yourself, so much the better,
Kevlar mat + epoxy (or polyester) resin. They will
stop any knife and some bullets.

A clear lexan clip board of sufficient thickness to protect
from 357 40cal or 9mm. You could move it, in front of your face,
and still see where the perp was aiming. And you could aim and
fire your pistol.

I would prefer defense/offense capability that is concealed;
too many perps are agile, fast, and smart enough to get around
the obvious.

These are theoretical ideas from a non-LEO, who has not
been in a fight in many years.