had vibes of not wanting to be caught out in certain neighborhoods after dark
Agree 100%! A few years ago I accidentally drove into the wrong neighborhood, which was explained to me in no uncertain terms by means of rocks thrown at my car by a small mob. In plain daylight, not at night. What a shithole of a city!
Without getting into details, it was the same crowd I once stumbled into at the Porte de Clignancourt in Paris, a manif in progress. The difference: Within a few minutes, a dozen CRS with submachine guns showed up, and the mofos ran for their lives. In Marseille, I had to do the running myself. How times have changed...
Wow that does not sound like a pleasant experience and during the day too. Crazy! We didn't experience anything like that but I could see it happening in some areas in the city. My understanding is that it's trying to clean its act up these days but I don't think it's there yet. High crime and poverty tend to go hand in hand and Marseille has very high poverty rates even still.
It's been trying to clean up its act for a hundred years. I'm not holding my breath. If we were to discuss it further, we would very quickly get into territories where the zeitgeist would kick us in the ass. Better to look the other way.
Yeah it has a long way to go for sure and I know what you mean lol 😅