Flaming trash cans rolled down the street as rioters wreaked havoc in the street early Friday morning, surrounded by officers from five different law enforcement agencies.

About 100 people began the night with a public dance party to raise awareness for the upcoming March 4th National Day of Action to Defend Public Education. Late Thursday night, about 20 of the students dancing in Sproul Plaza moved to occupy Durant Hall. About 50 people then cut a lock to get into an empty construction site, where they broke windows and spray painted graffiti. The UCPD now believes that many of the rioters were not students.

Callie Maidhof, representative for the initial dance party, said that the occupation of Durant Hall had been planned ahead of time. She said that the group did not plan anything that happened after the building occupation.  Nonetheless, at 1:41 a.m., rioters moved into the street and broke the window of a Subway sandwich shop.

In the middle of Telegraph Avenue, rioters danced around a stereo blasting from a shopping cart, surrounded by a line of UCPD officers.

Ten minutes later, members of the crowd lit a trash can on fire, shouting “Whose street? Our street!”

Police used batons to push back the crowd so that Berkeley fire personnel could extinguish the fire.

Two Berkeley students, Marika Goodrich, 28, and Zachary Miller, 26, were arrested and booked for inciting a riot and resisting arrest.

Around 2:55 a.m., the crowd moved to a different location off campus, where rioters launched two dumpsters at police officers.

Shortly after, several police cars dispersed the rioters.
 
About 40 officers were present throughout the night, and two suffered minor injuries.


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