Since the Scituation last covered the Occupy movement, there’s been quite a lot of change in where, how, and when people are protesting. Most notably, police and government have moved forward with plans to evict protesters from public spaces all across the nation.

On Nov. 30, police entered in riot gear to two different areas, Occupy Los Angeles and Occupy Philadelphia. According to the Huffington Post, there were 200 and 52 arrests respectively. Following the lead of police who tore down encampments in Zuccotti Park earlier in the month, the police organized at night in order to clear the longstanding protest.

Perhaps the most significant scandal occurred at UC-Davis near Nov. 9, at which time student protesters began a demonstration that lead to widespread criticism of the institution’s administration. A group of police officers who felt threatened in the midst of the protest began to pepper spray seemingly peaceful protesters. Many blame UC-Davis Chancellor Katehi for allowing police to disperse the protesters, and members of the faculty and a large amount of students have called for her resignation.

Luckily, the Scituation is not on the ground at any of the protests, because numerous journalists have been arrested on site. Various news outlets, such as the Associated Press, NBC, and the New York Post, joined in a letter published on Nov. 21 criticizing the reactions of the police to journalists using their first amendment rights to free press.

Many protesters documented what they labeled as aggressive police actions in dispersing the movements. When Zuccotti Park was emptied, books and tents were thrown in dumpsters by the police. However, police claim they were responding to growing concerns about health and safety in the camps. Others claim that the protesters have made their point clear and further demonstration isn’t neccessary.