i'm really not sure if i'm making this up, but i remember an incident happening somewhere similar in the city, and shortly after it became know that if you didn't look the part, you were getting pulled over due the assumption that you were up to no good in that area. i thought you could be pulled over with no specific cause as well, but it just doesn't sound right.
clifford ave is that area though. my best friend's dad owned in insulation/asbestos removal company on clifford, and the stories they had were amazing. that said just a short bit down, it was empire blvd. it's a strange stretch of road.