It was all quiet on the streets of Philadelphia Wednesday, a welcome relief after clashes a day earlier in which a reported 350 protesters were arrested and downtown traffic was jammed. A handful of peaceful demonstrations took place around the convention city, including a rally of several hundred protesters proclaiming solidarity for their colleagues still in jail after Tuesday's arrests. But only one road was blocked: Police closed Seventh Street for about 15 minutes as they escorted marchers around their headquarters there.

At times, the protests seemed more like carnivals than rallies. Demonstrators gathered in Franklin Square Park across from the police station put on puppet shows, banging on homemade drums, dancing, and playing whistles. But it wasn't just for fun: One puppet performance, for instance, featured a goat trying to decide whom to vote for in 2000. The goat swallowed a paper ballot on which "Gore" and "Bush" were scribbled, prompting other performers to cry out "The goat ate the vote!" The symbolism? "Our votes don't matter," said a performer who identified himself as Ben Franklin. "Both candidates have been bought by major corporations."