And in the little towns pity for the sodden men changed to anger, and anger at the hungry people changed to fear of them. Then sheriffs swore in deputies in droves, and orders were rushed for rifles, for tear gas, for ammunition.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 29. Initially people in the towns are sympathetic to the suffering of the migrant families when California floods. But that soon changes and turns to fear and anger. Expecting trouble, extra deputies are appointed and guns ordered to protect the towns from the threat of hungry migrants.