Peace bonding should open on Thursday after Badge pick-up. I was harassed all Friday morning by Rovers before Peace bonding opened. I also think it would be a good idea to have a room for Bicycle Storage to reduce congestion on the street.
As you have to be in the costume that your props match when going through peacebonding, having Thursday peacebonding would only benefit those who are cosplaying on Day Zero. Granted you can continuously change into your different cosplays and return to get everything knocked out on a single day but few do / would do that.
Aside from the line and head-scratching additional scrutinization on Friday morning, peacebonding was smooth and fast throughout con. Zero lines and zero hassles on Saturday and Sunday morning but then again I made sure my props were well within guidelines and confirmed such (and made all necessary requested fixes) in the peacebonding thread on the Cosplay subforum before con.
Rovers are just doing their jobs. Friday morning before peacebonding opens there are a lot less con-goers at the convention center so you tend to get tagged by rovers more frequently, that's all.
;D I start at 5am
I honestly think it (& cosplay hangout) should open earlier on all days. I think it was open early when I did peace-bonding on Sun. I also start early (6am) but I was able to get in & out on the day I had props so I didn't have issues with Rovers.
Though I'm of a mind that they should let things slide if they know peace-bonding isn't open yet. Especially if it is the 1st day, like in your case.
With the noticeable increase in police presence, peace bonding became more important.
I'd hate to see a kid get dropped by a cop because he couldn't tell if it was real or dangerous.
There were people smuggling drugs into the convention. So the cops were needed. :-\