Demonstrators began gathering in Berkeley around 5 p.m. Saturday as part of a series of protests in the Bay Area against a New York grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner, according to reports on Twitter.
About 400 people were marching north towards downtown Berkeley on Shattuck Avenue Saturday evening, a Berkeley police spokeswoman said. Protesters said they want more police accountability in wake of the recent killings of unarmed black men.
Protests erupted in San Francisco and Oakland earlier Saturday afternoon, according to police and reports on Twitter.
Photos on Twitter showed police arresting demonstrators on Market Street in San Francisco Saturday after a "die-in" and demonstrators holding signs that read, "Stop racist police terror" and "Justice for Mike Brown."
In Oakland, photos and reports on Twitter Saturday afternoon showed demonstrators walking into businesses and in some cases, reading the names of people slain by police.
And service was restored at the West Oakland BART station late Friday after it was temporarily stopped due to a protest march that began in Oakland earlier that evening.
The Berkeley protest is the latest in a string of protests where crowds have taken over the streets and freeways in the East Bay.
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"What’s been happening lately I think that protests are something that should be expected," UC Berkeley student Michaela Yamamoto said. "I don’t know anything about what my stance is on the violence of the protest, but I think that it’s inevitable for people to be doing this.”
Businesses along Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley have boarded up early as a precaution and some have even closed early.
Berkeley police Officer Jennifer Coats said there have been no reports of problems as of 5:45 p.m.
Protesters in Berkeley said the march will be peaceful.
