#Occupy Protests Expand; Police Don't Know How to Respond

In Boston police got rowdy, but in Atlanta police were hands off

One thing about the #Occupy protests around the country that's true is that as they continue to draw new protestors, the police patrolling them are also expanding in presence, and in power, as seen in Boston a few nights ago. The New York Times reports from Denver that this combination of growing protests and police "is clearly opening an uncertain chapter in a story that from its inception has embraced the notion of unplanned unscripted civil action."

While the original clay for the #occupiers were young people, the newcomers to the movement are increasingly older, likely because of a technology gap between generations. Elise Whitaker says in the story that the first wave came by way of Twitter while the newer, older waves are coming because of what they're learning in more traditional media formats, like TV.

The tactics are getting bolder also. In Chicago, #occupiers dropped huge bags of trash from foreclosed properties in front of the Bank of America building in the Downtown Loop.

The police seem unclear on how they should respond to this, Boston notwithstanding. In Atlanta they issued orders for protestors to leave Woodruff Park by 11 p.m., but when the time came, no arrests were made.