Good question, and I’m not sure of the actual, lexicographic answer.
All I can say is there’s typically an implicit negative connotation when using the form “those people” regardless of intent. Usually it’s used that way when stereotyping or otherwise making a blanket statement about a group, so even benign uses of the phrase tend to sound hostile.
My guess is that “those persons” sounds more specific.
Maybe crosspost to !selfhosted@lemmy.world and/or !selfhosting@slrpnk.net since this is in the ballpark of what we talk about there.