Well, you are sensible to be cautious!
Only cross the road when the red man is on, or you could get beaten up by the police!

Consider this:
Historian 'pinned to ground by US police and beaten for jaywalking' - Telegraph
A Norwegian man on holiday in th USA with his mother, was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison because he misunderstood the traffic regulations and took a wrong turn on a one-way street.
His car was classified as a "deadly weapon" hence the long sentence. He and his mother are saying they got lost in the one-way system and people were acting hostile towards them. Listening to the interview, they are completely credible. It's completely inconceivable that this Norwegian and his elderly mother tried to kill anyone, as the police had claimed. The reason he is looking bruised is because the police beat him up when he was arrested.
Plus, make sure you get a medical insurance before you travel or you will not get treated in a hospital if you take ill.... !! And finally, you will have to leave your FINGERPRINT when you enter the USA, as if you were a suspected criminal.
There are lots of things I'd like to see in the USA, but this kind of stuff is really offputting.