AP reports -- Dozens of protesters clogged streets and blocked traffic Tuesday outside the Democratic National Convention on its opening day, making for some tense moments that ultimately brought more theater than violence.
Just five blocks from Time Warner Cable Arena, where delegates are meeting this week, protesters took over an intersection for about two hours, attracting hundreds of police officers who swooped in to surround them and try to funnel them to more secure areas.
Officers took two protesters away in handcuffs, other demonstrators got into shouting matches with delegates and their standoff cut off a route used by buses bringing delegates to the area. Still, no violence or significant damage occurred even after the protesters were eventually allowed to march into the heart of Charlotte's central business district.
It was by far the most vigorous protest since both parties began meeting to formally nominate their presidential candidates. Republicans gathered last week in Tampa, where just two people were arrested by the end of the three-day affair.
