Alameda County prosecutors charged three men Wednesday with crimes connected to a protest in Oakland during which demonstrators outraged at the acquittal of George Zimmerman in Florida smashed windows and confronted police.

Two men, Lamar Caldwell, 27, of Oakland, and Tanzeen Doha, 34, of San Jose, were each charged with felony vandalism for allegedly smashing windows at the Men's Wearhouse near 15th Street and Broadway on Monday night.

A third defendant, Jeffrey Clark, 30, of Oakland, was charged with battery on a police officer and assault, both misdemeanors, for allegedly throwing a rock at Officer Francisco Negrete and preparing to throw a second rock as officers arrested another suspect, authorities said.

The charges came the same day interim Police Chief Sean Whent met with business owners at the Oakland Chamber of Commerce to discuss their concerns about the damage from a series of nightly protests since Saturday.

The chief acknowledged that police had been understaffed during some of the protests.

"We absolutely understand how the community's been affected, both from the violence of people being assaulted but obviously the property crimes as well," Whent said at a news conference at City Hall. "That kind of activity is not tolerated.

"We want to send the message that should you come to Oakland with the intent of engaging in crime, we will make every attempt to arrest you," Whent said.

Mayor Jean Quan agreed, saying, "The anarchists and the Black Bloc people have changed their tactics, so we have to change our tactics, too. That means we have to be a lot more flexible."

City Council President Pat Kernighan said she understood that the department was short staffed and said it might not be wise for police to arrest vandalism suspects immediately because of safety concerns.

"No matter what, we need to find a way to arrest vandals in the future," Kernighan said. "It's just critical to send a message that people cannot get away with this in Oakland."