Our colleagues Jake Sherman and Scott Mahaskey report from Charlotte:



The expectation of a large group of protesters has ground foot and vehicle traffic to a halt here, days before the Democratic convention is slated to kick off.

Several heavily trafficked streets in Charlotte's Uptown area — where Democratic Party's convention is taking place — are closed to vehicles. Pedestrians on foot are unable to cross the street for several blocks at a time.

Protesters were rallying against everything from President Barack Obama's use of drones, to his record on human rights, which one sprinting protestor pegged as "far worse than George W. Bush's, and that's hard." Also marching down Charlotte's streets were Occupy Charlotte protesters, who oppose what they see as large financial institution's influence over the government and economy. One sign read, "Bail out People, Not Banks." Bank of America is headquartered in Charlotte.

Richard Koritz, a member of the executive board of the North Carolina Association of Letter Carriers, was marching with a group of protesters, wearing aT-shirt that read "Save America's Postal Service."

"The Democratic Party is a dead end for postal workers," Koritz said in an interview.

Police from as far away as Richmond, Va., are patrolling street corners, and dump trucks are choking off traffic at several intersections. The congestion is already worse than anything in Tampa, Fla., where Republicans gathered for their own convention last week.

Police from all over the country were roaming the streets here — a gaggle of Chicago police officers were in uniform in the Charlotte Convention Center.