OAKLAND (BCN) — Two people were arrested for failing to obey a lawful dispersal order during an anti-police violence march that spilled onto Interstate Highway 880 in downtown Oakland on Thursday night, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

Officer Henry Schultz said about 1,000 protesters blocked both directions of Highway 880 near the Broadway exit for about five hours before they finally dispersed shortly after 1 a.m.

Although motorists were inconvenienced, Schultz said the CHP says it considers its response to the protest to be “a success” because no drivers, protesters or officers were injured.

Officer John Fransen, another CHP spokesman, said, “We welcome the freedom of speech in an open forum and want to keep everyone safe in that process.”

Schultz said the CHP was slow to clear the freeway because it had to wait for assistance from CHP officers from other areas.

“We needed more officers because it was such a large crowd,” he said.

In addition to the two people who were arrested on the freeway, Oakland police said they arrested five people and issued a citation to a sixth person for vandalism, bottles thrown at officers and graffiti during the march, which was held to protest the fatal shootings of black men by police officers in Minnesota and Louisiana.

Police said the march began with about 100 protesters at Frank Ogawa Plaza at 7 p.m. on Thursday but it quickly grew to about 2,000 people.

Police said officers facilitated a safe march along the Broadway corridor toward 6th Street and Broadway but about 1,000 protesters went onto Highway 880 and blocked traffic in both directions while the other 1,000 remained in city streets.

Police said vandalism to the police administration building at Seventh Street and Broadway, such as paint on doors, scratches on glass and broken glass resulted in one arrest and more arrests are anticipated.

A broken window at the Smart and Final store at 10th Street and Broadway resulted in one arrest for burglary and bottles thrown at officers results in two arrests, according to police.

Graffiti on a window at the Chase Bank branch at 14th Street and Broadway and graffiti on columns in the 1000 block of Broadway resulted in one arrest and one citation, police said.

In addition, there were broken windows at the Foot Locker store on Broadway near 14th Street and there was a small fire on a Caltrans sign board on Highway 880 according to police.

No injuries were reported, police said.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement that she understands the community’s outrage about the recent police shootings of black people across the country, saying that, “Something is terribly broken with how we administer the force of law and mete out justice in our country.”

Schaaf said, “Some will take to the streets. I ask that those who do, do so in a way that is peaceful and not destructive so as to do no further harm to our community, which like so many other cities is in pain right now.”

She said, “Facilitating peaceful free expression, keeping peace on our streets and protecting the safety of Oakland residents and businesses remain our goals.”