New York Police officers guard an empty street corner on 8th Avenue, August 29, 2004, a few blocks from Madison Square Garden, site of the Republican National Convention. The street was closed off in anticipation of protests in the area. Nearby hundreds of thousands of protesters marched past a heavily fortified Madison Square Garden ahead of Monday's start of the convention to nominate Bush for a second four-year term in the White House. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang US ELECTION HK