Oaktown On Fire

The death of Oscar Grant has ignited protests, mass arrests and outright riots in Oakland. After Grant's funeral, the city has erupted into further violence.

The Oakland Police Department made 105 arrests, including a mass arrest of about 80 people at 11 p.m., said Officer Jeff Thomason. The charges include inciting a riot, vandalism, assault on a police officer and unlawful assembly, he said.

One officer was injured, but not seriously, Thomason said.

Footage from CNN affiliate KTVU-TV showed demonstrators rampaging through the streets of Oakland, California, protesting the death of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old father who was killed on New Year's Day in a crowded train station.

Some protesters lay on their stomachs, saying they were showing solidarity with Grant, who was shot in the back as he was face-down on the floor at a train station.

Several witnesses caught the incident on camera, and there have been numerous demonstrations this week. The protests turned violent Wednesday night after Grant's funeral and following an announcement by authorities that Officer Johannes Mehserle, who is implicated in the shooting, had turned in his resignation.

Videos from witnesses show Mehserle shoot Grant in the back as another Bay Area Rapid Transit officer kneels on Grant. A BART spokesman has said there is more to the story than what can be seen on the grainy images.

Shot in the back while face down on the ground, with a second officer kneeling on his back?

That's not "necessary force to restrain a man resisting arrest." That is the execution of someone you believe to be no more than a common animal by someone supposed to be protecting the people.

The riots are tragic and the people of Oakland are the ones suffering. But there is no excuse for this. As I said...this was an execution.

HuffPo's Neal Rodriguez has more.