One viewpoint, from Tampa's police chief, Jane Castor: Protesters around the GOP convention can say and do whatever they wish "as long as they don't cross the line into criminal behavior."

And another, from Cara Jennings, a voter outreach organizer from Palm Beach County, Fla.: "They've militarized Tampa."

So far, protests have been muted and only two people have been arrested. That's in stark contrast to four years ago, when hundreds of protesters were arrested at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. In Tampa, protesters, who for months planned to converge on Tampa to showcase their gripes and messages, have been peaceful and small in number.

— Mike Schneider and Tamara Lush—Twitter http://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP and http://twitter.com/TamaraLush

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EDITOR'S NOTE—Convention Watch shows you the 2012 political conventions through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.