I’ve done it based on a stereotype, and that made me ashamed. Teaching at the jail helped a lot with that. On the outside I’d see some gang banger and I’d just grin and him and say “Hi!”
They always smiled and said “Hi!” back.
One time I was in a parking lot at a gas station. There was some thuggy, gang banger kid in a little car a few feet across from me on the other side of the pumps. He was in a little car, and I didn’t know if he had seen the giant hole right in front of his car, so I brought it to his attention.
He thanked me and said something else, and I was amazed at how soft spoken, well spoken, and nice he was. So, bad on me for being amazed.