Even though BART officer Johannes Mehserle was arrested and charged with the murder of Oscar Grant, violence hit the streets of Oakland last night as yesterday's protest ended. About 18 people were arrested last night after a "splinter group" went on a window smashing rampage. If you recall, Mehserle, who is white, fired a fatal shot into the back of unarmed Oscar Grant, who is black, at the Frutivale BART station on New Year's Day. Inexplicably, angry "activists" then used Grant as a signifier of anything from a fascist police state to violence in the Gaza Strip.

In addition to the window breaking spree, several cars were damaged, a few BART stations closed for the night. Police remained apart from the crowd gathered at Broadway and 12th Street, but "stepped in with tear gas" when the crowd became unruly.

"Out of 400 that were here, about 50 were determined to commit crimes," said Police Deputy Chief Dave Kozicki. Over all, however, the Oakland protest remained peaceful.

A few notable quotes from the rally? Addressing the Mehserle case, Councilwoman Desley Brooks told the crowd, "I have no confidence in the district attorney and I will watch him every step of the way." And Bishop Keith Clark of the Word Assembly Church in Oakland kicked cried out, "We come seeking justice" and "arrest isn't justice but conviction is."