This is the kind of stuff protests specifically ignore and/or exploit. Are the police going to harass you if a ton of protesters gather just outside the steps t

This is the kind of stuff protests specifically ignore and/or exploit. Are the police going to harass you if a ton of protesters gather just outside the steps to city hall and effectively block access just by sitting there and hanging out? Definitely. And that huge increase in inconvenience is exactly what gets your cause noticed and covered and in the front of peoples minds. The trick is, of course, to not actually cause inconvenience in a way that hurts anyone (so do not protest obviously outside the doors of a hospital emergency room entrance) while simultaneously maximizing inconvenience for those that matter.