The general state of public order is the distinction here. While drugs and some minor property crimes are essentially decriminalized in Houston, assault is not.

The general state of public order is the distinction here. While drugs and some minor property crimes are essentially decriminalized in Houston, assault is not. Vagrancy is tolerated unlike in rich suburbs, but harassment is not widely tolerated. And if someone were to assault you, you would be generally free to slug him in the face or shoot him, depending on the degree of force he used.