Activists marched illegally down streets, fought with one another and defied a downtown tennis ball ban Tuesday during the second day of the Republican National Convention. But as the excitement unfolded, some activist leaders wondered where the crowds were.

Cleveland has seen far smaller protests than those at other recent conventions, despite the nomination of Donald Trump eliciting a rage from progressives that rivals or exceeds their hatred of former President George W. Bush. In a further distinction, it has also seen very few activism-related arrests.

"Look, I'll say this: It's not a good thing people aren't here in a bigger force when an openly fascistic candidate is being nominated," says Noche Diaz, who served as spokesman for the day's highest profile march, which promoted revolutionary communism and the jailing of "killer cops."