Neither the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac nor the very abbreviated opening-day schedule at the Republican National Convention could keep all of the protesters away Monday.
Hundreds jammed the streets of downtown Tampa for the "March on the RNC," making sure their voices were heard.
Later Monday, a couple hundred protesters held an unplanned march on Tampa Street.
Police say they got too close to the secure perimeter and officers blocked them at Kennedy Boulevard for about 15 minutes. One of the crowd management commanders knelt down and explained to the demonstrators they were blocking the route to the hospital and would be interfering with rush-hour traffic.
The demonstrators then moved onto the sidewalk and left the area.
Earlier, there was a coordinated effort between the protesters and someone inside the high-end Channelside condos. As the "March on the RNC" demonstrators arrived here at the protest zone, a large anti-Mitt Romney banner was rolled down.
The banner read, "Mitt Ain't (expletive)." It was up for less than a half-hour.
Most protesters were peaceful. They marched for about a mile from Perry Harvey Park to the official protest zone, which is within sight of the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
One young man was arrested. Police said 19-year-old Dominick Delarosa refused to take a mask off his face when ordered to do so.
About 60 organizations endorsed the protest. The common theme was a backlash against the richest one percent of Americans.
We're marching to demand something - equality for all and peace," a female protester said.
About 200 protesters showed up - a much smaller gathering than officials expected. The demonstrators rallied in the protest zone for about an hour before a brief tornado warning caused them all to seek shelter.
At 9 p.m. Monday, Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said she couldn't be happier. She noted that only one arrest was made and said crews are doing a terrific job.