Berkeley Protests Block Highway, Trains

Berkeley protests against the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown at the hands of police entered their third night, crippling multiple forms of transportation in the Northern California city. More than 1,000 protesters took to the streets, forcing the closure of the BART downtown Berkeley station and blocking an Amtrak train. “By shutting down this train, it will delay the rest of the trains in the Bay Area,” local protester Navid Shaghaghi told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Now everyone will be asking, ‘Why are the trains delayed?’ Because of the protesters. Unless we’re free, we will prevent the system from operating.” Protesters also shut down Interstate 80, blocking traffic in both directions and forcing a woman in labor to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance.