Protesters Gather Outside George W. Bush Presidential Library Ceremony

DALLAS -- About 50 protesters have gathered amid a heavy police presence as thousands make their way to the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

The protests were restricted Thursday morning to a zone cordoned off by barricades and separated from the center by a highway.

About 30 protesters are wearing black while holding signs exclaiming, "Crimes against humanity" and "Does America have a conscience?" Other signs list the names of soldiers and others who died in wars launched by the Bush administration.

Coleen Rowley of Apple Valley, Minn., is wearing an orange jumpsuit and yelling "Close Guantanamo," a reference to the U.S. detention facility for suspected insurgents. She directed her comments to some of the 10,000 people heading to the campus of Southern Methodist University for the dedication.

According to White House pool reports, President Barack Obama's motorcade encountered protesters a few blocks from the library. Individuals in the group were holding up signs that included phrases like "Obama and Bush commit war crimes" and "What about Begazi [sic]?"