Crime is up around Occupy L.A.

From the LAT:

The Los Angeles Police Department said arrests in the general area around the camp are up, including charges of disorderly conduct, drug violations, public drunkenness and lewd acts. In the nearby L.A. Mall, a CVS employee said that $730 worth of toiletries, alcohol and first-aid supplies had been stolen from the store over a two-week period in late October. In the report filed Oct. 27 with mall security, the employee said "thefts were occurring because [of] the newly frequent visits from the Occupy L.A. people."

This should not be a huge surprise - lots of folks with different agendas and multiple opportunities to cause trouble - and yet it feeds into negative perceptions of the entire Occupy movement. And before you roll your eyes, let's all agree that perceptions in a movement like this are a very big deal.

From USA Today:

A new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows that the "Occupy" movement has failed to capture the attention of a majority of Americans, indicating either ambivalence toward it or lack of interest. The poll finds that 56% of Americans surveyed are neither supporters nor opponents and 59% say they don't know enough to have an opinion about the movement's goals. The survey, however, does show an increase from 20% to 31% in disapproval of the way the protests are being conducted.