Often when I write about surviving events like mass shootings or riots, people scoff and say, "That was a false flag perpetrated by government operatives" or "Those people got paid by [insert evil billionaire here.]" The simple fact you must understand is that it doesn't matter who started it, who paid for it, who instigated it, or who is taking part in it. If you find your city or town under siege by irate protesters, none of those things matter at the moment. These are things to be sorted out later.

What matters is how to survive and how to keep your loved ones safe. What we witnessed via social media of the riots in Chile should be enough to make anyone want to be prepared.

The idea of an angry mob appearing in your neighborhood is a frightening one but understanding more about the patterns of civil unrest can make it feel a bit more manageable.

It happens fast

It's extremely important to understand how speedily riots can occur. In his newsletter, Simon Black of Sovereign Man wrote of his ties to Chile. He shared an eyewitness account.

…this past Friday was a particularly beautiful day. By lunchtime, people were out in the parks enjoying the weather. It was calm, peaceful, and joyful.

Within a matter of hours the city had turned into a war zone. Hours.

One of my team members told me on the phone yesterday, "If you had said on Friday afternoon that Santiago would be in chaos by nightfall, I would have laughed… And then it happened." (source)

Never underestimate the power, rage, and motivation of a mob. Never think it can't happen where you are.

There's a distinct pattern to civil unrest.

Civil unrest can be predicted to some degree. Jose shared some of the warning signs he has observed and they all share their part in this pattern.

Here's how a protest turns into a riot:

A perceived outrage occurs.

Good people react and protest the outrage.

Sometimes there are not-so-good people in the group, those who want to see violence.

Those perpetrating the outrage try to quell the protest because they don't think that the outrage was actually outrageous.

Others react to the quelling and join the protest.

A mob mentality erupts. Thugs say, "Hey, it's a free for all. I'm gonna get some Doritos and while I'm at it, beat the crap out of some folks for fun."

All hell breaks loose.

The police and military get called in.

The city burns, and neighborhoods get destroyed, and no one in the area is safe.

Cops act preemptively, out of fear, and for a time, there is no rule of law.

If you happen to be stuck there, know this: you're completely on your own.

Tess Pennington wrote about societal breakdowns in more detail – read her excellent article for more information on these predictable scenarios.

The mob mentality and Freud

Some people are just waiting for the opportunity to behave in this fashion. They'd love to act like that every single day, but they don't want to spend the rest of their lives in jail. But when a verdict gets rolled out, when a storm takes out the power, when a disaster strikes, they delight in the chance to rob, pillage, loot, and burn.  Who can forget the day before Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast, when thugs were coordinating looting rampages via Twitter?

I remember learning about "sublimation" in a high school psychology class.