Police said about 200
people were on Berkeley streets for another day of protests over a grand
jury
decision not to indict New York City Officer Daniel Pantaleo for
Eric Garner's death on July 17.
But as some broke windows at businesses in the city, other protesters implored them to stop the violence.
Police in riot gear lined
the streets while others hovered nearby on motorbikes. They warned
crowds to disperse, but some vandalized various businesses, including a
Trader Joe's and a Wells Fargo Bank, police said.
Authorities used teargas to break up the crowds, said Jennifer Coats, a spokeswoman for the Berkeley Police Department.
"A small portion of
protesters have been violent. They started throwing rocks and other
projectiles at our officers," Coats said.
Two officers suffered minor injuries as a result, including one who was treated for a dislocated shoulder.
Nationwide protests
Protesters have taken to
the streets nationwide, outraged over the decision not to bring charges
against Pantaleo, whose chockhold led to Garner's death.
"What's happening in
these cities in these last several days is incredibly important to show
we have a unified voice," said Judi Flournoy, who was participating in a
New York protest.
Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, has urged demonstrators to "keep on doing it, but do it in peace."
In New York, the
victim's widow, Esaw Garner Snipes, has said watching the mass of
demonstrators from her Staten Island home brings tears to her eyes. She
said she told her son, "Look at all the love your father is getting."
On Saturday, dozens of
protesters staged "die ins" -- lying down on the ground in memory of
Garner -- at Grand Central Station in Manhattan and Union Station in
Washington.
Meanwhile, New York
officials said complaints against police officers fell significantly in
the second half of the year, compared with July to November 2013.
A report that tallied
complaints said 1,813 were made so far since July 1 of this year, 26%
fewer than the number of complaints filed with the Civilian Complaint Review Board in the same period of the prior year. Excessive force allegations fell by 29%.
The dip followed a
slight rise in the first six months of the year, the report said. But
overall, allegations have declined in 2014.
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