the dilapidated, hulking pier on the Hudson River in Manhattan has become a landmark of sorts in the clash between activists and authorities at the Republican National Convention.

Some protesters have complained bitterly about conditions at the temporary holding area set up by police at Pier 57 in Chelsea for processing convention-related arrests. One former detainee, Andrew Lynn, claimed he was held there for hours on end in "Guantanamo-style pens" — a reference to the U.S. military facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Police officials insist their Post Arrest Screening Site allows them to safely and promptly process mass arrests and avoid overwhelming neighborhood stationhouses.

Commissioner Raymond Kelly has dismissed complaints about conditions, including questions about asbestos. Testing done Monday night found no problems with air quality, he said.

NYPD officials declined a second request to allow an AP reporter to tour the site Wednesday, saying officers were too busy processing the nearly 1,000 people arrested the day before.

Among them was an AP photo messenger, who was taken in along with a group of protesters when police broke up a demonstration that she and a colleague were covering.

Jeanette Warner was there for several hours. She said conditions were far from inhumane, although the facility was dirty and the experience was exhausting.

"It was like a warehouse, it was the best they could do," Warner said. "You didn't want to sit on the floor, that's for sure."

Detainee JoAnn Wypijewski, a 48-year-old freelance magazine writer, said officers manning the makeshift lockup were polite.

"You get the feeling that they're being held prisoner too," she said. "It's not a great working environment in there."