Oakland, Berkeley marchers protest Missouri shooting

A woman tries to pull a protester away from police after a scuffle breaks out during a march in Oakland against police brutality held in solidarity with the demonstrators in Ferguson, Mo. A woman tries to pull a protester away from police after a scuffle breaks out during a march in Oakland against police brutality held in solidarity with the demonstrators in Ferguson, Mo. Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 48 Caption Close Oakland, Berkeley marchers protest Missouri shooting 1 / 48 Back to Gallery

(08-16) 16:27 PDT BERKELEY -- The events of the last week in Ferguson, Mo., where the fatal police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown led to days of protests against heavy-handed police tactics in the St. Louis suburb, continued to reverberate across the country Friday.

More than 100 people marched through the streets of Oakland and Berkeley and on the UC Berkeley campus on Friday evening, protesting police brutality in solidarity with those in Ferguson and calling for justice in the name of Bay Area victims of violence at the hands of law enforcement.

Protesters broke windows and damaged property in both cities.

Two arrests were reported in Oakland. A 45-year-old Oakland man was taken into custody for allegedly assaulting an officer, and a 41-year-old Hayward man was arrested on suspicion of obstructing police.

In Berkeley, police arrested Taylor Tengwall, 24, of Berkeley for allegedly resisting arrest and Lael Montgomery, 19, of Vallejo on suspicion of trying to remove a weapon - not a gun - from an officer and resisting an officer. Tengwall was being held at Berkeley City Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail, while Montgomery has posted bail.

Dana Sabir, 23, of San Leandro said she joined the march "to show that America will not go for justice anymore, that it's not OK to treat people who are different than you like animals."

"Something has to change," she said between chants for justice for Brown and Oscar Grant, "because it keeps happening and happening."

The march got under way around 7 p.m., heading south on Broadway from Frank H. Ogawa Plaza with protesters chanting, "Justice for Michael Brown!" and "Hands up! Don't shoot!"

Police presence was heavy, with officers in riot helmets carrying long batons, but the march was mostly peaceful except for several tense moments. Police faced off with protesters near a freeway on-ramp and, at one point, someone discharged a noxious spray, causing many to cough. The origin of the spray was unclear.

Oakland police on scene said they did not use any chemical agents, and several officers were affected by the spray, according to Sgt. Holly Joshi, chief of staff for Chief Sean Whent. One officer suffered a back injury, she said.

"The majority of protesters were committed to being peaceful. However, there were elements in the crowd intent on committing acts of vandalism and attempting confrontation with officers," Joshi said.

Whent said his officers acted with "tremendous restraint" and "exhibited a high level of professionalism."

As night fell, a few protesters with covered faces pulled out paint cans and hammers and sprayed antipolice graffiti on buildings along the march route and broke some windows of businesses on Telegraph Avenue.

Drivers along the way, sitting in cars blocked by the marchers, honked in support, eliciting cheers from the crowd. At one point, aerial fireworks were set off near 14th Street and Broadway, bringing more whoops and hollers from the rowdy protesters.

When one masked protester tried to spray paint on the window a restaurant, 53-year-old Ralph Guerra ran at him, telling him to stop.

For his efforts, protesters poured liquid down his back. "Smells like urine," Guerra said, but it had the strong burn of alcohol.

"These people are just local business people," Guerra said. "Like over there, Youth Radio? They broke their windows last time. They're a nonprofit. They're not trying to hurt anybody."

Guerra is a plumber who services local Oakland businesses. He said he had an equal beef with the police not doing more to stop the vandalism.

"That?" he said, gesturing to a helicopter above. "That's not helping anybody. They're spending millions of dollars, but what are they doing?"

The march was billed as a "F- the Police" action by organizers, but "FTP" meant different things to different people.

Patricia Williams, 17, of Oakland said "FTP" for her and many others meant "For the People."

"We're standing up for ourselves," she said.