OAKLAND — A night of protests, in solidarity with nationwide anti-police brutality events, saw thousands march Thursday night in downtown Oakland and onto Interstate 880, shutting down the freeway for four hours.

Seven were arrested during the Oakland protests, which happened concurrently with marches in other cities, including Dallas, where five police officers were gunned down during a rally.

No injuries were reported during the mostly peaceful protest in Oakland, but some businesses and police headquarters were vandalized.

The rally began about 7 p.m. with 2,000 people marching down Broadway, some chanting “The whole damn system is guilty as hell,” and arriving at the downtown plaza to hear passionate speakers with a muffled megaphone denounce police violence.

Oakland police estimated 1,000 people walked on the freeway while the others remained on city streets.

Around 8:30 p.m., protesters stopped in front of Oakland Police Department headquarters, where rally organizer Minister Ben McBride spoke to an enthused crowd chanting “black lives matter.”

The minister splattered red paint as a “representation of the blood that’s been spilled” on the front door entrance of police headquarters as protesters cheered.

Among those who joined in the rally was a group of millennials who call themselves Asians for Black Lives. About five of them proudly held a flag adorned with the words “Third Worlds for Black Power.”

Devika Ghai said the organization formed because of the legacy of black resistance and the “historical debt” Asians and other people of color owe to the community. She added that black people have been struggling for liberation since the beginning of America’s history.

“We’re here together. Some of us have been here for a long time,” Ghai said. “Until black liberation is won, we’re not going away.”

Police said a total of seven people were arrested and a eighth person was detained, but then cited and released.

Authorities said the arrests were for assault on a police officer, vandalism and attempting to break into a business.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of throwing bottles at officers.

Two people were arrested on Interstate 880 on suspicion of disobeying an unlawful dispersal order, said California Highway Patrol Officer Henry Schultz.

Schultz said CHP received late notice about protesters planning to march onto the highway. The CHP reached out to nearby agencies for backup before formulating a plan to get protesters off the road.

“We always have an idea that it might go that way because in the past there are groups that have wanted to do that,” he said. “But, yet, we also have to remember not to be overbearing at the same time but still be on standby and prepare.”

Officers were deployed and moved protesters off the freeway by walking them down offramps or onramps around 1 a.m.

“Ultimately, we are concerned with the safety of officers and protesters at the same time,” Schultz said. “With a group that large, you have to put your units in a safe place and have them exit in a safe location as well.”

A man trying to get into a Smart & Final Store on Broadway after a window was broken was arrested on suspicion of burglary.

The other arrests and citation resulted from graffiti sprayed on the window of Chase Bank at 14th Street and Broadway; graffiti sprayed on columns in the 1000 block of Broadway; and red paint splattered on the front door of police headquarters at Seventh Street and Broadway. More arrests are anticipated in the police headquarters vandalism, which also included scratches on glass and broken glass, Officer Johnna Watson said.

No arrests were made for windows broken at a Foot Locker Store at 1430 Broadway, or for a small fire ignited on an I-880 Caltrans sign board.

There were no reported injuries and a damage figure was not immediately available.

Traffic on I-880 in both directions was stopped while the protesters were on the roadway. The freeway was finally cleared by 1:15 a.m.

Besides Oakland police and CHP officers, there were also Alameda County sheriff’s deputies on hand.

Watson said police not assigned to the protest who were on regular patrol were ordered by Asst. Chief Dave Downing to pair up in their cars in light of the fatal shootings of Dallas police officers. That policy will continue “until further notice,” Downing said.