What's this neighborhood coming to?

I returned home about four hours ago and decided to shovel the sidewalks. I had already done the front of my house and three of my neighbors. Now I was working on the side of my house. I was facing south, and two guys approached from the north. They were in the street, and didn't appear threatening.

One of them made a comment about my shoveling and I stopped to reply. He moved my way a bit, so I put the shovel aside to make sure he knew that I was giving him my full attention. The other guy was still at a distance, so I didn't bother taking off my gloves.

He asked if I was trying to make some money. At first I thought he was talking about drugs, but then realized me was referring to my shoveling. I replied that it was my house. He said "You own it, or that's just your crib?" I simply replied "I live here." He asked this same question two more times.

Now I understand a person doesn't always know what kind of questions others feel are intrusive. Especially in our society where many people speak so publicly about their "intimate" relationships. But whatever the question is, if a guy refuses to answer it twice, you should take a hint. Anyway, after the third time, he figured I really didn't want to elaborate.

They both started to walk away and he turned back around to say "You don't know where I can get anything?" I just replied "I ain't into that shit" and resumed shoveling. He said "My fault, man. That's cool." and they both walked away.

When I talk about this being a drug neighborhood, this is what I'm referring to. These guys were just passing by and they asked the first stranger they saw for drugs. That does not happen in most neighborhoods. The police would have to park here 24/7 to stop this completely, and I realize that is not possible.

There was a time, not very long ago, where I would have responded to this in a more confrontational manner. I would have said much more than I did, possibly moving towards him, and I definitely would have had my gloves off. Now, I usually just let it roll off me. As long as no one is acting aggressively towards me, it's usually pretty easy to keep my cool.

What's funny is that in most neighborhoods, two men asking a stranger on the street for drugs would appear abnormal. Here, when too much time passes without any activity, people begin looking around and saying "What happened?" Also comical is that I didn't recognize either of these two guys, so they likely didn't know anything bout me. Seeing a guy standing on the corner at two in the morning has to mean that he's either buying or selling. I would love to have heard their conversation as they walked away. "What the fuck, white boy down here ain't into that shit. What the hell is this neighborhood coming to?"