How dangerous is DC?

I finish up my second full day of orientation. It's my 8th day in this city. Life is good even though it's 11:00 pm, I'm wearing a suit and i'm walking home sweating. I'm not talking about a the type of perspiration that just builds up on your forehead but never really beads into a drop of sweat that I'm used to. I'm talking about a full on, full body drenching. I can shake my head and full streams of water, not drops, cascade off my head AND face. Turst me, I'm the first person to admit that it's gross. It's the type of sweat that drips onto my computer as I write this 10 minutes after I'm in my air conditioned apartment. But I didn't start writing to complain...

About a block and a half away from my apartment I make a slight right turn onto a street called Columbia. It's normally a fairly busy street except for this moment when it's me, my computer and three guys about half a block away that motion to eachother, look at me and then pretend to ignore me as I continue to approach them. It's about this time when all of the comments from friends (thanks everyone!) about how DC is one of the most dangerous cities in the country just behind Flint Michigan. It's about this time that they one of them starts walking ahead about 25 feet in front of me. I keep watching and slow down just a little. I get about 10 feet from the other two and the second gets up and starts walking. I make the concsious decision to continue to walk past them...after all, my apartment is just a hundred yards up the way. Plus, i keep reminding myself that i'm fast (as if that would help me at all in a suit and dress shoes). As I approach the third guy still siting on the curb he looks at the guys that started walking and then at me. We make eye contact. I try to show a confidence that I know whats going on, I'm prepared and i'm not happy about it. I walk past the guy on the street and about 5 steps past him he gets up and starts following me.

This is where I start to internally panic while deliberately not showing anything on the outside. My stride stays confident. My dress shoes purposefully making as much noise as they can. I drift closer to the street side of the sidewalk but continue to walk forward. I begin to approach an alley that seperates the my building and the one next to me. The first guy turns into the alley. The second guy turns into the alley and i'm confident that i'm about to get mugged. I ask myself, "are you fucking kidding me! I'm so hot! I don't want to run but i'm very prepared to." I continue to walk, I turn my head and make eye contact with the guy behind me again. I can't figure out if this is a good thing or not. I continue to walk. I get to the alley and don't hesitate accepting whatever is about to happen. My pace picks up as I look down the alley at two people staring at me waiting. I make it about five steps past the alley when the three guys start talking in a foreign language again. I'm pretty sure the third guy was supposed to drag me into the alley. I'm not sure why he didn't try but I'm thankful. Three against one isn't usually a favorable fight. Good times.