people. blocking trucks trying to get into and out of the port of alone. and this is not the only hot spot in oakland, large groups of protesters are also spread out along market and 7th streets. we have live team coverage across the city tonight. we want to join ktvu, mike nebak, there where all the protesters have gathered. >> reporter: well, we're at the area where they showed up an hour ago, you can see caution tape, the tape is not doing anything, it is the human chain outside, when trucks come in they lock arms and don't let my of the trucks come in, or they don't let the long shoremen come in. its important to know at 7:00 a new shift comes in. many of the long shoremen have not been around, you can see more of the crowd, the activists pushing here, pushing towards 30 and 37. news chopper 2 is over head, it can give you a different

perspective of just how big this crowd is. right now back on the ground while we're looking at the chopper shot i want to talk to one of the activists here. kate tell me your thoughts as you see the crowd gathering, on the small crowd, you were here at 5:00. >> i am very happy to see this happen. the crowd i was in at 5:00 was sort of an advanced group of people coming in on buses, these people just arrived from marching themselves all the way from oscar grant plaza in downtown oakland. and it is -- i got to say it is actually very inspiring. makes me really happy to see everybody come back together. >> the city administrator says that everybody is watching now, watching oakland, your thoughts. >> they ought to be watching everywhere. there are solidarity actions everywhere. there are many eyes on oakland after what happened last week, and they really ought to be. >> reporter: and the goal is to turn away the third shift at

7:00. you already turned away some long shoremen, how long will you be around, do you stay, do you go? new i think that is up in the air as far as i understand. i am not an organizer, i am a participant, we'll be here as long as our presence is requested and required. >> reporter: all right, kate, thank you for taking the time. back here on the ground here at middle harbor road. a few hundred people gather as they attempt to stop the long shoremen from coming into -- the area here for the shift. grab this gentlemen here, i'm mike with ktvu. live with your thoughts on this gathering. >> well it is very interesting, it has been very peaceful. the parts i have seen, i understand there were trouble in other places, whole foods for instance. until this occupy wall street and occupy oakland becomes a movement that is labeled occupy the voting booth on election day is not going to serve more than a blip in the screen. >> reporter: and that is our photographer, you are sitting

in the middle of this. and hundreds more are on the way. did you ever picture yourself being here, ever think it would get to this point? >> well i have not always been active, not physically, but active, yeah, i had no idea what this was. especially the walk, that was a heck of a walk out here from downtown oakland, now i have to walk back. >> reporter: to shut down the port is the goal? >> i really don't know what the goal is, looks like the ports have already been shut down. which is a safe way to do it. i haven't seen any confrontationings at all. i am very happy about it. >> reporter: thank you for taking the time, we are the 99%, the crowd getting warmed up here, reporting live in oakland, mike nebek, ktvu. and ktvu's eric rasmussen following the protesters since they left the plaza, shortly after 4:00 this morning. eric joins us live on the phone. eric what are you seeing? >> well take a look right here,

this is how far the crowd of thousands has gotten at this point. you see a bunch of semi trucks stopped here at the intersection of maritime street and 7th street. they have made their way all through the port of oakland here and came to a stop. something we've seen them doing, it is very similar to what has been happening at occupy oakland, at frank ogawa, they voted they will keep going here. you talked to people in the crowd -- one guy was older, he says, this is better than the '60s, obviously they're very fired up out here as the sun starts to go down. for now they have stopped but they have been doing this throughout the march, they stop for a moment, gather together, go on the move again. we're just waiting to see what the next turn will be. >> all right, eric we'll keep in touch with you. right now we want to show you a list of news chopper 2, a little earlier, showing the massive number of protesters

streaming towards the port of oakland, amber lee has more where the sea of people passed by not long ago. >> reporter: frank, we are along market street right by 7th. i want to show you this intersection, just a half hour ago this was blocked, cars couldn't go anywhere. because there was a very long line of protesters all making their way down to the port where mike mebak and eric were. i want to show you that there are still people moving, making their way down. we've seen people of all ages, young people, old people, people with their children and even people who say they couldn't march standing on the side with signs, saying we are the 99%. now as we are getting towards night fall, some of the protesters are expressing some concern to me that they didn't want people to cause trouble . they are putting out the word, urging people at the kaiser center and the wells fargo and other banks around the

downtown area to please stay calm. they want to make sure the message gets across. and from this crowd that i can see so far things have been calm here. there was even live music. we saw a union bus, health care worker's rolling along with health care workers. we saw a number of signs asking people to support the occupy wall street movement and occupy oakland. as you can see there are still people making their way down towards the port, things are pretty calm here right now, reporting live in oakland, amber lee, ktvu channel 2 action news. and while most of the group has been peaceful as they marched, a small group of protesters caused damage. i want to show you a whole food store here shut down tonight due to vandalism. protesters smashed a window and sprayed graffiti. others say they surrounded the vandals, the doors were locked, customers kept inside for a time until the situation calmed down. there were rumors that the

grocery store chain planned to fire people who took part in the strike. whole food calls the rumors totally false. and protesters broke a window and shattered this screen at this bank of america near 21 it street at 2:00 this afternoon. at chase bank and a wells fargo branch in downtown oakland they also had their windows smashed. >> just an hour ago we heard from the mayor officials, who say the protests have been peaceful. they made a plea for public safety. we need for fires, or vandalisms, no throwing bothles or rockings or human waste at the police officers, i just think it is important to know that the world is watching oakland. we need to make it safe for everybody. >> howard jordan said there were about 4 or 5000 people in the streets tonight, the number may have gone up, more come in to join the protests, again, howard jordan said so far there were no arrests and no

injuries, but he did say anybody trying to enter the gates of the port of oakland will be in violation of federal law and will be arrested. we'll have continuing coverage throughout this news cast, you can also follow what is happening on line, just go to ktvu.com for all the latest developments. and the family of brian stowe is reporting a major step in his progress. take a look at the injured giants fan who is now able to write his name. his family says the image speaks volumes about his recovery from beatings outside the dodgers stadium back in march. they say he is also able to read and do basic math, his therapy is exhausting but he is full of determination. and san jose mayor chuck reed says he wants to tax the marijuana dispensaries to pay for a special election. the mayor is asking the city council to increase the tax on pot clubs from 7-10%, the money would pay for a vote on whether to repeal restrictions on medical marijuana, advocates

have enough signatures to put on the ballot. reed says the measure would cost a million. and at odds tonight, voters get ready to elect a new sheriff. new, in san francisco, there are allegations of racism now clouding the race. when i see another cop, i don't see color, i see blue. >> reporter: the san francisco police officer's association president under fire for groups representing african-american and asian officers. at a meeting, he used the f- words regarding the leaders of the group. >> i think it is a betrayal. >> reporter: the enforcements are for the captain who has served in the sheriff's department for 15 years, and the former police officer and former under-sheriff and former head of the poa. delaney says he should be the only choice for the cops. >> to me this has nothing to do

with race. i think he is a qualified candidate for the position, but he is not a police officer, police officers should support police officers. >> reporter: delaney says he is just passionate about the department and apologized for the language he used. but he sent a controversial letter to several areas, blasting the dual endorsement. >> i was shocked that the -- that gary would write something like that. >> reporter: officers for justice tonight is calling for delanus to resign over what they call a pattern of bullying groups, representing police officers. >> he made a step back ward with the membership. he is trying to segregate us from the department. >> and once again that was david stevenson reporting from san francisco. one republican state lawmaker says he is determined to bring high speed rail to a halt. the senator is drafting the legislation to ask voters to reconsider the nine billion bond approved by voters back in

2008. the high speed rail authority released new cost estimates that doubled the price of the rail project to nearly 100 billion. that is more than twice the original estimate. >> it is not going to make money, it will require the dollars from the federal level and from california taxpayers. he says he will introduce the bill when lawmakers return from recess in january. we have been showing you a lot of live pictures here, and these are more from news chopper 2 of the protests going on at the port of oakland that is essentially shut down. the port is shut down tonight. there is another protest going down at ground zero of occupy oakland, that is frank ogawa plaza at 14th and broadway. and ktvu's john sazaki has been there. >> reporter: take a look at 14th and broadway, city hall, that is close if you include everybody up on the broadway. probably close to a thousand

people, folks waving their signs, this one says that war equals peace, of course there is some irony used in that sign. but this is -- where -- frank as you said, ground zero, i think a lot of people were referring to it as the epicenter of this occupy oakland movement. this is where everybody has kind of been staging before going out and -- going after the banks, trying to shut those down, going after the port, trying to shut it down. we have had upwards of 5000 people in this area at any one time. right now it is less because most of the people are at the port right now. but these folks are all claiming to be part of the 99% opposed to the 1% and the banks, believing that the banks took advantage of the bailout and then didn't help the people of america in the process. so there is a great deal of enthusiasm still going on here, although right now it is quite a bit -- quite a bit more

mellow if you will, despite the fact that so many people are gone on the effort to taking over the port. there has been music as you can hear right now. there is still music going on, there were speakers, some rallying cries that they have been getting going on, overall right now it has been peaceful. as you remember last tuesday night, things got out of control, got way out of control with -- a lot of tear gas, a lot of bottles fired by the people, the sheriff's deputy news the area, one person injured, scott olsen, an iraq war veteran, hit in the skull. this is where things happened last tuesday night. and everybody is wondering what will happen tonight. we have not seen a loot of police officers today. but doctor is certainly going to be some type of presence certainly tonight. because there is no telling what the protesters will want to do tonight after -- as you have seen in our news cast earlier, they have caused at least a few protesters are causing damage to a couple of

banks, to whole foods store over there by lake merritt. so it is anybody's guess what is going to happen tonight. and we really, though, have yet to see any real police presence here, more than really control can traffic. so once those police officers come out, once all the protesters from the port come back here that is when things you know -- maybe it will remain calm or peaceful. nobody at this point knows, so we'll of course be here and be bringing it all to you live tonight. live in oakland, i'm john sazaki, ktvu. so we have the large protest at the frank ogawa plaza, even more at the plaza, a much quieter protest, many gathering outside the bank of america branch at main street, a couple of dozen people held signs, calling for taxes on the rich and blaming banks and wall street for the recession that has cost so many people their jobs. we'll look live near the port of oakland, where you can

see people on the move, at this hour we watched the past couple of hours, protesters carrying signs, they have been chanting "whose port? our port ." we have seen the demonstrators climb on the trucks, also climbing on the signal lights in the area, mostly, this protest is peaceful. the port director spoke at about 5:30 this evening, appealing to the protesters to let his workers have safe passage home tonight. we'll continue to watch the protests which looks like it will go on quite sometime. we'll have details as we get them. we have other news, in petaluma, police say an 11- year-old girl was walking on g- street, when a man called out. when she turned around, the man

exposed himself. the police described the man as a hispanic male between 30 and 40 years old with a thin mustache. and firefighters contained a wind-whipped wildfire, not far from the silverado country club, it burned about 65 acres. the cal fire initially adjusted that number. the fire destroyed one home on loma vista drive. and two dozen other homes were evacuated after the fire started at 8:45 last night. it is believe it started when the power lines fell. and settling the lawsuit over an ammonia leak that sickened two dozens of their workers, the leak happening in 2009 at the columbus foods plant in san francisco, about 30 people who worked there needed medical treatment. the settlement requires columbus to improve their refrigerator system. and the red tail ed hawk

shot in the head with a nail gun, once again is back in the wild. there she goes, the female hawk released this morning at the golden gate park, rescue crews captured the bird last month and took it to a san jose hospital . the nail missed the vital organs, police believe that the bird was shot on purpose. and officials from the monterey marine bay sanctuary asking people to keep their distance from the whales, this is showing how close the people were getting to the whales, in some cases the small boats are colliding with the whales. officials remind the boaters that harassing the wildfire is against the law in the sornings. and one of the con joined twins separated woke up alone this afternoon for the first time in her life.

angelina set up for a short time while her sister rested. the surgeons had split the girl's shared liver in half as part of a nine hour surgery. the girls are expected to heal at different rates. angelina is progressing a little quicker than angelika, so they're a little bit out of sync today. doctors positioned them to see each other so they can cope with the potential trauma. and putting babies under stress. ktvu health and science editor looking at the situation between mom and babies. it is standard in most hospitals, newborns physically separated from mom. the researchers said even within one hour, the stress is measured by the heart rate. consider the newborn's perspective. >> we're used to the mom's noise, and if you're close to

that it kind of helps you regulate your own breathing and your own heart rate. >> reporter: researcherrings ers say that stress is not necessary. moms we talked to resisted it. >> this is the most important time, right after giving birth. so -- for two weeks it was -- you know we were locked up in the house. >> i kept my kids with me, i didn't put them in the nursery, because i didn't want extra stress. >> reporter: the researchers said babies who touched their mothers were healthier on average, so it is important to stay together, skin to skin. one expert wrote this was a very small study, only 16 babies. >> the study points the way for future research. it certainly shouldn't change any practices. >> reporter: researchers don't know the long-term effects of the stress. they say it is a great need for more study. john fowler, ktvu news. and firefighters across the

bay area were busy last night after strong winds pushed over trees and snapped power lines. this video was shot outside near 23rd street in oakland. fire officials say the wind may have knocked two lines into each other, causing them to arc. bill martin is monitoring more changes in the forecast. >> yeah, the winds were gusting up to 80 or near 80 miles per hour on mt. diablo. take a look, the highs from today. they cool off, don't they. 10-15 degrees cooler for your thursday. you will notice tomorrow, you will notice more clouds and notice a pretty good shot for sprinkles. light sprinkles in the bay area forecast tomorrow. most of them mid-morning to mid- afternoon hours, heavy gully washer? no, but unsettled cooler. and the umbrellas will be needed for a time. here comes the weather system. cold air, the colder the system the less water it can hold. this is a cold one, not a lot

of rain, 10-15 degrees cooler, showers spread south, that is not it. snow in the mountains, it hanging around, through to a bay area, looking at the clouds, look at the temperatures, look at the overnight lows, chilly, wintery, and you will notice it first thing tommorow as we head into the weekend. more chances for scattered showers. all right, what a change, thank you. when we come back here, continuing coverage on the massive occupied protests going on right now, an estimated thousand people at the plaza, which you see here as the port of oakland where there are at least 3000 and probably more people there right now. they have essentially shut down the port of oakland for tonight

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. all right, more now on our developing story, the top stories, the occupy protest, growing and gaining momentum here in oakland, you see 3000 plus protesters, basically shutting down the port of oakland, marching from frank ogawa plaza, beginning a little after 4:00 this afternoon, the interim oakland police chief a short time ago said that about 3000 protesters were in this

area, and the overall demonstration included about 4500 people. he said there have been five businesses, for the most part we should say this is a largely peaceful demonstration, a small group of people, 60 or 70 people, damaged the whole foods, we'll continue to watch it. right now we want to talk to mark. carson palmer, i am excited to see what he does. >> a change of pace, late in the mood -- carson palmer as frank said, to get his first start as an oakland quarterback, he will have a brand-new target, new for the to the raiders, but not to him. houshmandzadeh, fresh as a starter, they talked about the guy who has something left in the tank at age 33.

>> it was not carson's idea, but once i said this is what i want to do, the coach said this is a pretty good deal. he never came to me and said look, you need to get tj on the football field, this is my decision, i took it to the powers that be, i said this is what i think we need to do in order to continue to get a little bit better. >> he knows more about offensive and defensive football than any nonquarterback effort that is around. and it will be a really big help -- >> just with the guys they have, they're all fast. but they don't really have a guy that can work the middle of the field. so i think that i can bring that -- to the table, you know? >> all the receivers, you know me being here my first day, they're all supportive. >> all right, considering the fact they didn't score points against kansas city in the last game prior to the bye week, anything is welcome. about right this time, the major leaguers hitting the

circuit, doing a nice good will exhibition series through taiwan. that was body bruce bochy there as a coach. and curt curtis granderson as a new york yankees, grand slam, the game was called because of rain, you see the score, 7-0, the major league all-stars had things well in hand. the tour will continue for the next several days, pablo sandoval will continue. that is the sporting life. we'll be back. >> wow, houshmandzadeh, if you ask for his autograph -- >> houshmandzadeh, got a lot of talent too, a lot of letters and talent. >> thank you. well due to all the events going on at the port of oakland, you see the live pictures there, as well as at frank ogawa plaza. we're expanding the news cast,

we'll go straight through until 7:00, we'll take a short break and be back in just a moment

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