Occupy Oakland night march largely peaceful

An Occupy Oakland protester wears a Guy Fawkes mask before an anti-police march against the Oakland Police Department in Oakland, California February 4, 2012.

OAKLAND, California (Reuters) - Over 100 anti-Wall Street protesters marched in Oakland on Saturday night, but avoided any major clashes with police just one week after a similar demonstration ended with over 400 arrests.

The Occupy Oakland demonstrators held signs and chanted "Whose streets? Our streets" as motorists in nearby cars honked and residents came out on their front stoops to wave.

Police officers in riot gear trailed behind the crowd of over 100 protesters, who are loosely affiliated with the anti-Wall Street movement that began in New York last September to call for greater income equality and a check on the political influence of the wealthy.

Earlier in the evening, Occupy Oakland called for a "peaceful march" in a statement on Twitter. "Let's end the war in Oakland," the group said.

On January 28, a crowd of Occupy activists that police said numbered about 500 people staged a chaotic protest in an attempt to barge into a convention center. That demonstration resulted in 408 arrests, according to the Oakland Police Department.

Oakland has a long history of militant activism. In 1946, the city went through a two-day general strike and in 1966 the Black Panther Party was founded in the city.

(Reporting By Gerry Shih in Oakland: Writing By Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Paul Thomasch)