>> reporter: to prepare, some businesses closed early. dogwood bar on telegraph avenue boarded up windows. the city's security ambassadors passed out packets with safety tips. >> i think all of our hearts go out with the brown family. >> reporter: the mayor says she expects demonstrations to stay peaceful but -- >> we are ready to call on additional officers for overtime if we have huge demonstrations. >> reporter: the oakland police department released a statement. part of it reads the department is prepared to respond in the event that demonstrations and protests become unlawful, threaten public safety or incite vandalism or property damage. opd adds officers understand the importance of free speech and their goal is to maintain a peaceful environment. the city also opened up four healing centers. these are places where people can go and voice their concerns and ask questions. we posted those locations on our website, abc7news.com.

elissa harrington, abc 7 news. civil rights leaders met at city hall to discuss the decision. they are calling for peaceful protest if the officer is not indicted. pastors are also asking for peace. the sanctuary will be open tonight for people to share their feelings and discuss community activism. >> we might be able to create a safe place for all who are gathered to not only show up and express the anger or frustration or excitement, but that they may in community be able to imagine where do we go next. >> the sanctuary will open in half an hour. a night of anxiety in ferguson as the city along with the nation waits for the jury's announcement. taking a live look at some of the protesters gathering, these are people heading into the streets and the crowds are growing. there is also a group protesting

in front of the police station. police have been preparing, putting up barricades, planning to put 1,000 officers on the ground. the national guard and fbi are also in ferguson ready to respond. many businesses are boarded up. state and city leaders spoke this afternoon, pleading for peace and restraint. >> st. louis finds itself with an opportunity to show the nation the ways in which a community can be more fair and more just for everyone. we must seize this opportunity together. >> schools in ferguson will be closed tomorrow. churches will serve as safe havens offering food, shelter and medical care. here's a breakdown of the process now on the jury deciding on charges in the ferguson shooting. the 12 st. louis county residents were picked from a standard jury pool. they include nine white jurors, three women, six men. and three black juries, two women and a man. the grand jury's racial makeup is in line with the county's, which is 70% white, 24% black. but the jury is not reflective

of demographics in the city of ferguson, which is 67% black, 29% white. now, stay with abc 7 news. once again, the grand jury decision is expected within the hour. we will have live continuing coverage on the decision on abc 7 news at 6:00. now we need to turn to news of the day in the bay area. shock and grief in a quiet san francisco neighborhood tonight after a group robs and kills a young man apparently over a smartphone. the victim was killed just after midnight in the dubose triangle area. abc 7 news reporter vic lee joins us now. >> reporter: police need help from the public. the suspects are still out there somewhere. you know that about 60% of all robberies in san francisco involve cell phones but rarely do these robberies end up deadly. homicide inspectors and patrol officers combed the neighborhood looking for more evidence that could lead to arrests. numerous homes on this street

have security cameras which could identify the killers. michael marquez was shot to death shortly after midnight here on henry street in the dubose triangle. >> he was with his girlfriend and a group of people. they just had pizza. and he dropped his girlfriend off and was on his way home to my house. >> reporter: marquez had been staying with maria twyman's family. he never made it back as he and two friends walked down henry street, five people jumped out of a car and robbed them at gunpoint. they shot marquez, then took his smartphone and backpack. as word of the deadly robbery got out in this quiet tree-lined street, neighbors responded with alarm. >> shocking. really, this has always been a very peaceful neighborhood. >> reporter: maria twyman and marquez's close friends mourned his death at the spot where he died. >> just us hanging out just a few days ago, just in my room just talking.

i never thought this would happen. >> i remember him as my brother. my best friend. >> reporter: they remember their friend as a caring, giving person. marquez worked at a restaurant where he displayed that part of his character. >> when they closed, instead of throwing away the food, mike would bag it up and give me a ride to some of the homeless people around. >> reporter: maria says marquez had one thing in his back pack that hopefully will make his killers think long and hard about what he did. >> he carried that around with him. >> reporter: a bible. >> yes. that was in there. that bible. >> reporter: vic lee, abc 7 news. santa clara county sheriff's deputies want to catch two masked men who pulled off an armed home invasion robbery early this morning. they broke into a home near golden gate and glenco drive about 4:45 in the morning. investigators say at least one man had a gun, the robbers then took things. they escaped by leaping over a backyard fence. deputies arrived moments later.

the north bay smart commuter system plans to remove concrete road barriers after an abc 7 news investigation exposed complaints about them and showed the damage. engineers intended for the short curb-like barriers to keep people from driving around the safety gates of railroad crossings. drivers say those barriers are poorly marked and that makes them easy to hit. friday, abc 7 news showed you the damage and tire marks, evidence drivers have run into the barriers. smart expects to begin train service in 2016. two bay area lawmakers are ready to take action to keep the golden gate bridge free to pedestrians and bicyclists. they plan to announce legislation tomorrow to prevent the bridge district from implementing any fee to cross the span. a group of officials agreed to proceed with a study to determine how to close the deficit. pablo sandoval is headed to

the boston red sox. he will sign a five year, $100 million contract. this means panda will get to play spring training in florida where he lives and therefore will get to see his family. analysts say that was important to him. boston's wcbb tv reports the giants made the same offer to pablo as the red sox but pablo sandoval chose the red sox because he felt disrespected by the giants. so he's heading out. it's not clear why exactly sandoval felt that way but what do the fans think about all this? that part of the story from abc 7 news reporter wayne freedman. >> reporter: when they write the book of perfect baseball exits, here is one for the ages. what we now know is pablo sandoval's last play for the san francisco giants. it sealed their third world series victory in five years. the memory, eternal. the relationship, confirmed today as being temporary. >> i really thought the relationship probably had reached its peak and it's best for everyone to probably go

their own separate ways. >> reporter: that's radio sports talk show host damon bruce with an observation giants fans may not have wanted to hear but now they must deal with it. pablo sandoval, who had a record 26 hits in the last post season and three home runs in one game against detroit two years ago, truly a mr. october, has signed with the boston red sox for five years and at least $90 million. >> pablo sandoval is not choosing the boston red sox over the giants. he's choosing the american league rule book. >> reporter: a rule book that will allow a third baseman with a continual weight problem to eventually play offense only as a designated hitter in the american league. >> he will always be a giant to me. >> reporter: always. >> always. >> reporter: still, maybe this was inevitable. take a look around the giants dugout store which today sold regular giants hats and giraffe hats but no panda hats. if this tells you anything, they have been out for awhile. >> yeah, he's gone. >> reporter: at the world series

parade this year -- >> i love being here with my teammates. i love being here with the fans. i love being part of the three, the dynasty we have. in five years, we will have three world series. >> reporter: for any giants fan, a lifetime's worth of good feelings and great memories. from san francisco, wayne freedman, abc 7 news. >> hate to see him go. >> we will miss him. we have a lot more to get to. coming up -- >> we are the public and we are fighting for public education together. >> protesting the system wide walkout over tuition increases and word of a compromise nobody seems to like. elephant outcry. why a training tool is being called into question. how it could keep the circus from coming to town. also ahead, the retail version of the chicken or the egg. as black friday turns into black thursday, are stores responding to customers or vice versa? we'll be right back.

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[ chanting ] about 300 uc berkeley students walked out of class today at noon to protest proposed tuition hikes. regents voted last week to raise tuition by as much as 5% per year for the next five years. that would cause tuition to increase for california residents from $12,000 to $15,000 a year. some students fear that would price them out of a uc education. >> this movement today is definitely going to start the movement to address the issue and to get people who are in power to actually work with students. >> the state provides more funding, we are able to either reduce the increases or get rid of them all together. >> this afternoon -- this past

march went past berkeley high school. they did that because they say future students will feel the pinch of higher fees. the oakland zoo -- >> the oakland zoo is backing a city ordinance athat has circus very upset. >> i will continue this story. the ordinance would prohibit the use of these rods, called bull hooks. this undercover video shows how circus trainers use the rods to hit and pull elephants to get them to perform. the wringling brothers barnum and bailey circus threatened to stop coming to oakland if it is adopted. officials say the hooks are used to intimidate the elephants even when they obey orders. >> oftentimes the elephants would get wounds from these sharp points and they will squeal, move away, do whatever they can to submit and have it stop. >> very disturbing video. the oakland zoo stopped using bull hooks in 1991 after the

death of a trainer. workers now use treats and padded sticks to perform welfare checks on the elephants. americans are expected to spend $620 billion over the 28 shopping days from thanksgiving until christmas. retailers have kicked off holiday sales even before black friday. abc 7 news business and technology reporter david louie is at a walmart store in san jose to look at what is a growing trend. >> reporter: it is a trend. you have noticed that some of the malls around the bay area are already playing christmas music. retailers know how important black friday is but they have also been tracking a trend that many shoppers are starting their buying well before thanksgiving. some shoppers are still picking up their turkeys and fixings for thanksgiving but they are finding the stores already are selling christmas gifts and decorations. >> i am disappointed when it's the week of thanksgiving and you can't even find anything you need for thanksgiving. it's all christmas. i want to make sure we celebrate thanksgiving, too. >> reporter: however, retailers

say they are simply responding to a trend. the 20% of people start holiday shopping in october and nearly 40% do so in november. on top of that, the economy has made a rebound. people have paychecks to spend. an estimated $620 billion will be spent on holiday shopping this season. this year will be up about 1% over last year. >> 34% throughout most of the country. higher numbers in the bay area because of our unique population and the ability to track tourists. >> reporter: for adults and older kids, electronics are expected to be hot sellers. >> a lot of enthusiasm going on with the new technologies nowadays. >> 4k tv is pretty popular. tablets and computers. it will be a fantastic year for us. >> reporter: what would christmas be without toys for kids. >> frozen is the hottest item. i have a little daughter myself and i know her entire room will be filled with frozen this year. >> reporter: an increase in shopping has prompted stores to hire 800,000 seasonal workers this year, the highest number in at least ten years.

however, shoppers say they are still holding on to their money until they see a deal. >> hold on to it. if i see a good deal, okay, then get it. if not, we will wait towards the end, like before christmas and then get it. >> reporter: miguel has camped outside this best buy store for four years in a row. he has a shopping list posted for all to see. >> the bargains are really worth it. there is a 4k tv for $900 and panasonic for $200. >> reporter: david louie, abc 7 news. >> since we are talking about shopping, some companies take really good care of their customers and others fall short of the expectations. >> that is true. consumer reports is partnering exclusively with 7 on your side's michael finney with more on that. >> consumer reports has its annual look at company policies that are pro-consumer and some are not. before you buy a plane ticket, book a hotel or splurge on

holiday treats, find out if the stores and services you use are on the list. >> for its efforts to help smokers kick the habit, cvs pharmacy lands on consumer reports' nice list. >> more than 7,000 cvs pharmacies stopped selling tobacco and cigarettes and they also launched a program to help people quit. >> todd marx compiles the list based on input from consumer reports experts. >> we are not rating companies. the naughty and nice list is a look at company policies and practices to see how consumer friendly they are. >> from jet blue, a nice gesture for holiday travelers. if they notice a fare drop within two weeks of booking a flight, they can call the airline and receive a jet blue credit for the difference. spirit airlines is not so kind. it lands on the naughty list for hiking baggage fees by $2 per bag. >> they call it a temporary fee but it's just in time for holiday travel. >> among retailers, zale's jewelry chain is called naughty.

in a credit cards.com survey, they charge the highest interest rate, 28.99%. if you're in the market for a big screen tv, overstock.com is naughty for not accepting returns on sets 37 inches and larger. the company's advice? refuse the delivery if you spot a problem. sam's club turns up on the nice list this year. if you're planning a holiday meal, the warehouse store will refund double the money for members who don't love the fresh meat, produce or baked goods they have bought. that's good for goodness sake. if your holiday plans include buying tickets to an event, here's another company policy that makes consumer reports' nice list. stub hub is being transparent about costs. the ticket reseller promises the price you see for a ticket is the price you will pay at checkout. no surprises. i noticed that, we have reported on that, as a matter of fact. i really like that about them. you know what you will pay. >> thank you. if you plan to go shopping

on thanksgiving day, b.a.r.t. will run trains on its sunday schedule. parking will be free at all stations. on black friday, the schedule and parking will be back to normal. however, there will be longer trains, meaning double the number of seats available. so you can get where you're going, spend a bunch of money. >> save money on b.a.r.t., spend it at the store. meteorologist sandhya patel outside now. bundled up there, young lady. >> it's cooling down. the sun has set, so obviously any warmth we had today is going away fast. it's clear out here right now. let me show you live doppler 7 hd. right now, no rain on the screen but that is all going to change. our radar will be tracking unsettled weather later on this week. golden gate bridge camera, clear skies right now and your temperatures are in the upper 50s to mid 60s around places like redwood city. 61 san francisco. 58 in oakland. 60 in san jose. high temperatures today in the low 60s to low 70s, running a little bit milder than normal.

from the sfo cam, it is crystal clear. not expecting any problems if you are traveling out of our local airports tomorrow morning for the holiday week. as we take a look, 59 in napa. 62 currently in livermore. a beautiful view looking at clear conditions tonight. chilly inland. mild afternoons through thursday and a wet pattern setting up saturday through monday, possibly into tuesday. lovely view from the emeryville camera but notice the haze there way in the background. that is why a spare the air alert has been issued for tomorrow. wood burning is banned for 24 hours. poorest air quality in the north bay. moderate for the rest of the bay area. here's what's bringing us poor air quality, this area of high pressure basically keeping us dry through thanksgiving day but also allowing for some of the pollutants to get trapped down near the surface with the light winds. rainy pattern is setting up for the weekend and possibly beyond so let's take a look at the long

range forecast. late friday night, rain starts to approach and move in. saturday looks like rain, really continuing right on through early next week so we will call it unsettled. if i were you, i would start getting your tree before friday night, if you do have to still go out and get your tree. if you are traveling for the holidays, low pressure system will be working its way up the eastern seaboard 5:00 a.m. wednesday, bringing rain, snow, mixed bag there, wintry weather. behind it, some snow, 5:00 a.m. thursday. so travel along the eastern seaboard could be a bit on the tough side for this holiday. keep that in mind. tomorrow morning, chills in the air, upper 30s for the coldest inland valley, santa rosa, napa, fairfield. some other locations, low 40s, livermore, san jose. bundle up when you leave home tomorrow afternoon. you will be able the lose that layer. look at these numbers. 72 in the south bay and san jose. 71, sunnyvale. redwood city, on the peninsula, 70 in san mateo.

68 half moon bay. sunshine in san francisco, and in the north bay, you will see plenty of low 70s. santa rosa, sonoma, napa. 72, oakland. castro valley. inland spots, 71 in livermore, warmer than average. accuweather seven day forecast will keep it mild. 60s, 70s right on through thanksgiving and then the cooling begins with the chance of rain friday night. looks rainy for saturday. wet and windy for sunday and periods of rain going into monday. so much-needed moisture coming but if you're traveling back after the holidays, that could be a little bit rough, especially over the weekend. dan, cheryl? >> sandhya, thanks very much. coming up, a mountain lion spotted in berkeley. we will tell you where. that and new at 6:00, the effort to save a historic neon sign at a bar, even though the bar owner wants to get rid of it.

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the small plane that crashed near gilroy two weeks ago collided with power lines before hitting the ground. the two-seat cessna crashed shortly after takeoff in steep terrain on a flight from frazier lake airport to monterey bay academy airport in watsonville t two people killed were an 18-year-old and the 69-year-old pilot john dennis of gilroy. it might not be safe for people to eat fish from two northern california reservoirs because of high mercury levels. that advisory covers three reservoirs. it includes a warning that children and women under the age of 45 should not eat bass. older women and men should limit themselves to one serving a week. everybody should restrict their consumption of catfish caught in either reservoir. a warning for people walking in the berkeley hills. a mountain lion has been spotted. it was seen thursday near building 90 of the lawrence berkeley laboratory. then over the weekend, an employee found a deer carcass on a trail near parking lot d.

several mountain lions have been spotted in the hills over the past few years. very delicate rescue for firefighters in livermore. they were called in to save a cat that got stuck inside a new, there he is, uninstalled light pole that was lying on the ground. poor little kitty. it weighed less than five pounds. it was stuck in the most narrow portion of the pole and couldn't move. firefighters cut the pole and pulled the cat out. officials say the cat was tired but awake and moving all of its limbs. it was taken to a dublin animal shelter to get checked out. it did not have a collar or i.d. tag. three minutes, three minutes is all the time you have to get your family out of a house when it catches on fire. tonight at 11:00, i will tell you why homes are going up in flames faster than ever before in a special report. what's in your home that is making it so dangerous these days? find out only on abc 7 news at 11:00. hope you can tune in for my report. >> that will be really fascinating. well, used to be movie premieres were a big deal.

these days it's trailers. >> that's right. "star wars" has come a long way since '77. how you can be one of the first in the world to get a sneak peek of a movie.

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coming up new at 6:00, we are expecting the grand jury's decision in the michael brown case at the top of the hour. we will bring it to you when it happens plus reaction from around the country and bay area. and an angry customer beat a path to our studio to complain to 7 on your side about a store specializing in custom made shoes. see what happened when michael finney went looking for answers. that's coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00. doughnut lovers, dunkin' donuts has announced plans to open stores in the bay area with its first shop in 2016. >> there are 26 dunkin' donuts locations planned in and around san francisco with 13 more in the south bay. even though the donut is in the

name, their coffee is what a lot of people crave. coffee sales account for 60% of their business. >> it considers starbucks as one of its biggest rivals. san francisco and san jose are getting another attraction as well. >> a new "star wars" trailer will debut friday in both cities. >> the 88 second trailer for "the force awakens" will show at cinemark oak ridge and the amc metreon. >> the movie is due to hit theaters december 18th 2015. we have to wait a year. could be a big deal, though. >> 15 years ago, people reportedly stood in line to buy a ticket for main attractions like meet joe black and the water boy just to catch the trailer for star wars episode one. >> lot of star wars fans l after the trailer. they didn't stay for the movie. that will do it for us. "world news tonight with david muir" is coming up next. i'm cheryl jennings. >> i'm dan ashley. we appreciate your time. see you at 6:00.

welcome to "world news tonight." and breaking news. the decision in ferguson in the police shooting of an unarmed teenager. tonight, schools now closed. the national guard, fbi, more than 1,000 extra officers on the scene. also developing, the thanksgiving storm. the nor'easter barrelling up the coast. and the new winter storm watch. millions facing holiday travel nightmares. plus, the tornado damage coming in from the south tonight. the big shakeup in the obama administration. the defense secretary out. and why. and the real money team saving you cash this holiday. our reporter and the shopper side-by-side. how the shopper saved $55 with the same list. it all comes down to one thing on your phone.