Riot squads! Rubber bullets! Pepper spray! Pushing and shoving! Arrests! All these ingredients made for a tough and tense weekend for Occupy protesters in Denver, Portland, and Austin—three American cities known for being more liberal and open-minded than most. What happened? Maybe they're dressing up as police states for Halloween.

Denver: Police shot rubber bullets and used pepper spray on protesters who reportedly tried to set up tents outside the Capitol. Cops say the protesters wanted to demonstrate inside the building, which is a no-no. According to Westword, at least 20 protesters were arrested—including two juveniles and two who will reportedly face felony charges. One protester took several rubber bullets to the face, and another had a painful encounter with a police motorcycle, which "rolled over his foot."

Austin: Police arrested at least 38 protesters who had set up a food table outside City Hall and wouldn't leave the area. Most of the protesters face criminal trespass charges now, reports the Statesman. Why weren't they immediately thrown on death row, for having their harmless tables of food? Austin's too soft on crime.

Portland: At least 30 protesters were cuffed after they refused to leave Jamison Square. Some "pushing and shoving" occurred, but no violence erupted. "Charges filed Sunday morning included criminal trespassing, interfering with a police officer and disorderly conduct," reports KGW.

Elsewhere in the Protestaverse, Nashville defied a curfew without incident, Zuccotti Park dwellers shivered, Occupy Boston protesters also shivered, and life went on.

[Westword]