Specifically because I live in a hot climate, I’m always fighting the feeling of being suspicious of anybody I pass in the streets with a hoodie pulled up. I feel guilty because of racial profiling associated with hoodies, but gotta protect myself and my family, especially because in many cases the perpetrators of assault and murder seen in media are somebody with a hood and/or mask on.
And these are the kinds of interactions that people have in cities that terrify conservatives. Not the situation you described (although they’d be scared of that too), but the lesson you took away from it.
Just being around people that look, sound, behave, have customs, etc., different than you changes the way you view the world in fundamental ways. You may not even realize it is happening.
And most importantly, it makes everyone less afraid of one another. And this is how conservatives lose their power.