Walking the streets at night

I went to Texas over Spring break. We visited Austin, San Antonio, Aransas Pass, La Plum, and La Grange. South Texas is not the safest place in the world. People that live around here voice that Downtown, Baltimore is the area that is best to avoid at night. My Mom and I visited the Riverwalk in San Antonio one night. We parked in a garage three blocks away from the Riverwalk. It was around 7:00 and it was getting dark. My Mom power walked the entire way there and said five minutes out of the car that we probably would not be able to stay long because it was getting dark. My Mom has extreme paranoia. To my suprise a homeless man did approach us in the short distance that we were walking from the car to the Riverwalk. He stood between us on the sidewalk and clapped his hands together. He looked like he was trying to say something but couldn't find the words. Me and my Mom walked around him quickly. I was calm but my Mom looked like she was going to pee herself. He didn't do anything to us but he still could have. We were the only ones walking down the street. It is important, especially in the city not to walk in bad neighborhoods. Try to avoid walking alone. This man could have easily grabbed me or my Mom and done something far more severe.