Beginning on Sept. 17, a group of protesters showed up to Zuccotti Park in New York. The demonstration was proposed by a Canadian anti-capitalist organization called Adbusters. Adbusters has since lost control of the protests.

Adbusters has had several similar anti-consumerist campaigns in the past, but Occupy took off. Big time. Why? Mob mentality.

Mob mentality works like this: people start following the same trends and behaviors as other people. After the NYC protest began, others began popping up all over the U.S.

Mob mentality usually leads to things getting ugly. They have. Crime rates have increased significantly in areas surrounding the protest sites. Vandalism, theft and rape are among the crimes reported.

In Oakland, Calif., protesters shut down the port, the fifth busiest in the country. In several cities, including NYC and Portland, Ore., protesters have been evicted because of severe sanitation issues at the camps.

Why would an organization contradict one of its main complaints by adding to the problem? Because people simply act within the mindset of the mob. What comes next? All-out riot.

It was this same mentality and escalation of events that led to the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. At Occupy’s center is hypocrisy. The chief sponsors are politically motivated organizations such as ACORN and Democratic Socialists of America.

These groups have literally paid protesters to continue on with their “work.” Apart from that, most of the protesters don’t even know what they’re protesting about!

It’s because of this that Occupy is not merely a “movement,” it’s a mob-driven public disorder that is increasing crime rates and preventing people from carrying out their business. Compare Occupy, with its 1,000 plus arrests in NYC alone, to the Tea Party, which has no recorded related arrests. The difference? The mob mentality present in Occupy.

­­Tyler Jones is a freshman majoring in chemical engineering.