The band of less than 100 "Occupy"-style protesters tried to taunt police officers by dangling bagels and donuts at the end of fishing poles. "I guess they thought that was funny," said Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor outside a downtown hotel, where she dealt with the protesters personally. The protesters took over intersections and refused to move for more than 15 minutes -- until getting up and asking police for directions to their next protest site.
So far, only three people have been arrested in RNC-related protests, including one suspected of a protester-on-protester attack at an encampment. It's been so uneventful that the police chief has canceled several news conferences on protests because of a lack of news.
Protest signs contained the message "Mr. 1%" beside a picture of "Rich Uncle" Pennybags, the Monopoly board game mascot, and protesters chanted anti-corporate slogans. The protest ended up and then dispersed shortly after Rep. Paul Ryan finished speaking a few blocks away.
Castor said protests have been considerably smaller than expected, perhaps because of the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac earlier in the week.
