Cleveland - The tens of thousands of protesters poised to disrupt the Republican National Convention never materialized on the Monday opening of the Donald Trump's Cleveland bash.

There were several pro-Trump and anti-Trump demonstrations crisscrossing the city as thousands of delegates streamed into the Quicken Loans Arena, but they remained peaceful amid a huge show of force from law enforcement officials.

Squads of state troopers and city police patrolled the city and kept vigil over protests, which included a march through downtown Cleveland that attracted several thousand.

Other events garnered only a smattering of demonstrators. At one protest near Cleveland's water shore, a small group of white supremacists chanted near a contingent from Black Lives Matter. But they were vastly outnumbered by reporters and bicycle officers who ringed both groups.

"I was expecting a lot more people," said Shanisha Hunter, 32, who traveled from New York to demonstrate. "But every little bit counts."

About the Author

Featured

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, seen here in a file photo from Nov. 14, 2024, is conducting a statewide audit of voter registrations targeting registrations at businesses and P.O. boxes for possible cancelation. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com