A crowd fills a Manhattan avenue during a protest march sponsored by United for Peace and Justice on Sunday, August 29. (Photo: © AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta)

Monday, August 30—It was a double-whammy welcome for the more than 5,000 delegates to the Republican National Convention.

An estimated 300,000 protestors filled the streets of midtown Manhattan yesterday. The focus of the 44-block-long march was Madison Square Garden, where the convention begins today. Protestors formed a solid mass of humanity from 34th Street to 42nd Street, where they turned a corner and marched back downtown to 14th Street. The march lasted more than five hours and was mostly peaceful. Only about 200 people were arrested.

Delegates received a more-formal welcome on Ellis Island, just across New York Harbor from the site of the World Trade Center. Vice President Dick Cheney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani officially began convention week with the city's skyline as a backdrop.

"This August day could not be more important given the challenges our nation faces," Cheney said. "My job here this week and in the two months ahead is to tell people all across American how steadfast our President is; how compassionate and concerned he is. He is exactly the leader we need for these times, and we need him for four more years."

Back at the convention site, hundreds of thousands of protestors, who were organized by the anti-war group United for Peace and Justice, chanted "No More Years."

The Week Ahead

The convention officially opened at 10 a.m. today with a speech by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Prime time speakers, which include Giuliani and Arizona Senator John McCain, get started at 8 p.m.

On Tuesday, First Lady Laura Bush, Secretary of Education Rod Paige, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger take the stage. Wednesday's speakers include Vice President Dick Cheney and Georgia Senator Zell Miller, a Democrat. The week ends on Thursday night when President George W. Bush officially accepts the Republican nomination for President. New York Governor George Pataki will nominate the President in a speech the same evening. Convention speeches will be televised from 8 to 11 p.m. each night.