since late september protesters have been camping out in macpherson square and freedom plaza and have for the most part been unbothered by police here the parks are patrolled by the national park police who notified protesters the beginning today at noon they started forcing the law that's been in place along the no camping law are to correspondent liz wahl spent much of the day at macpherson's square today to see how everything was shaken up. so we are here at macpherson square where protesters have been occupying the park since october they were out the demonstration about one hundred tents have been pitched here but today park police say they have to go the national park service has repeatedly slapped these notices on tents here macpherson square informing protesters that they can no longer camp out here that means they have to get rid of sleeping bags and any other material which allows them to live here protesters are responding by painting that symbol on the notice which demonstrates the fact that they do not agree with this mandate. the deadline noon today for tens can stay but

temporary structures are kept open at all times as of now many of those protesters remain at macpherson's square and they've built this giant tent you see over the main statue there well let's also take a look at some video from oakland california where more than four hundred people were arrested over the weekend and quite a few major clashes went down. now among the activities there protest use force to try to take over an abandoned community center they hope to turn into a headquarters protesters also stormed city hall apparently breaking them into the building using a crowbar to get through the emergency door open mayor jean quan says protesters trashed much of the building vandalized several areas and concept of damage inside protesters also burned an american flag on the front steps this photo making its way around now there is a whole lot to get to today regarding what this means for the movement and how steps taken over the last few days impact things i want to talk more about all of these aspects joining me here in studio is rob wol occupy d.c. protester and also we've got our t. corresp

so we are here at macpherson square where protesters have been occupying the park since october they were out the demonstration about one hundred tents have been pitched here but today park police say they have to go the national park service has repeatedly slapped these notices on tents here macpherson square informing protesters that they can no longer camp out here that means they have to get rid of sleeping bags and any other material which allows them to live here protesters are responding by painting that symbol on the notice which demonstrates the fact that they do not agree with this mandate. the deadline noon today there are tens can stay about their doors must remain open proving no one is living in it you know it's warns protesters that violate the rule are subject to arrest and it's basically a symbol of opposition. to you know what everything that this movement is opposing right now and so i think the tents are really important part of what you buy but police presence was sparse with no reported arrests they stand mostly on the sidelines refusing to answer questions from

the developing story in macpherson square and freedom plaza.k police are cracking down on a law that says people cannot sleep in tents in the park. occupy protesters vowed they will sleep in shifts. fox 5's stacy cohan is live at macpherson square. stacy, you see any folk sleeping down there? >> it is difficult to tell whether or not they are sleeping. they are in violation of the no camping rule because many of the tents are sealed up tight. they are possessed to be open so that police can see they are free of any sleeping materials. it is likely that some of these tents are occupied. the no camping rule was going to be enforced starting yesterday. all of the sleeping materials had to be gone being their food set-ups had to be gone. police did come in several time making inspections but no arrests were made. there was screaming, whistles and chanting and probably the largest symbol of perseverance on the part of the protesters was an effort of throwing a giant blue tarp over the statue of general james mcpherson. >> we decided that, if they're

i thought he's liz wahl explains occupiers remain united in their beliefs so we are here at macpherson square where protesters have been occupying the park since october throughout the demonstration about one hundred ten had been pitched here the national park service has repeatedly slapped these notices on tents here at macpherson square informing protestors that they can no longer camp out here that means they have to get rid of sleeping bags and any other material which allows them to live here protesters are responding by paying.

. >>> our big story this morning, you may no longer see tent cities in macpherson square or freedom plaza. >> at noon today, park officials will again enforcing a no camping law at occupy d.c. sites. officers say a man tore down flyer abouts the upcoming no camping regulations. >> it is unprofessional. they almost started a riot. tasers are used in last case scenarios, life-threatening situations. he had his hands in the air and was tased in the back. >> protestors say they are prepared to stand up to those trying to force them out. still, congresswoman eleanor holmes norton hopes the demonstrators will respectfully respond to officials' requests. >>> intentions between occupy protesters and officials in another city too. the mayor of oakland, california now pushing for a court order to keep demonstrators who have repeatedly been arrested out of the city. this after 400 people were arrested over the weekend. the mayor says some of the protesters actually broke into city hall, smashed glass, spray painted on walls and burned an american flag. police responded with tear gas. at least three

all is quiet at macpherson square. i'm stacy cohan. >>> on to the other top stories we are following now. the medical examiner now says a virginia man found dead at the bottom of a maryland well had been shot to death. lenny harris disappeared on september 21st. days later, his cell phone was found on the woodrow wilson bridge and someone was caught on surveillance video using his amount tm card. his car was discovered abandoned in prince george's county. his body was discovered in a well in fort washington. the 53-year-old was a community activist. >> i've known lenny for many, many years but i've never known him to be associated with bad people. >> there is now a $38,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. >>> controversy for the d.c. department of housing and community development. two d.c. council member are calling for an investigation connected to the construction project with the group peaceoholics. at least one agency employee has been fired and millions of dollars are unaccounted for. fox 8's karen gray h

has several crews at macpherson square and i want to just play a little bit of what's in this protester say some of these voices of people at occupy d.c. right now. this here in the fearsome square is a symbolic protest and we're dreaming of a better world and by not letting us sleep they're not letting us dream but feel but given the media presence we're not going to see a strong police force me to go camping regulation until there is a dispersal of the media i think we're going to sit comfortably here until it gets dark. at a certain point we're going to see the cameras turn off or we see the police come in. very sweet or discussion you in all the media outlets possible but if you go back to the he's the leader and organize. and be the change they want to see. and. all of these movements all over the country talk about what you've seen recently a d.c. i'm not sure if you were here today or not i well i just got here because i heard that there's going to be a possible vixen and a lot of times when the mainstream media leaves or gets kicked out in new york city the police officers were

movement at macpherson square. apparently rats making the camps their home as well.e present time kitchen has stopped serving memes after a visit by health inspectors this week. -- meals after a visit by health inspectors this week. we have a report. >> reporter: even in this week's bitterly cold temperatures, dozens of protesters at the two occupy sites are staying put. about half of freedom plaza in front of the wilson building remains covered with tents and most of macpherson square in the heart of the city's business district remains wall- to-wall tents. nearby merchants are growing weary of what they consider now to be an unclean park. >> the smoke and smell. bad. >> so you want them gone? >> yeah. >> reporter: some maybes have increased an increasing rat population. >> this is ratten fiftied. there are rats coming through here like crazy. i don't want to get bit by mice or a rat and then get real sick. this place is rat infected. >> reporter: organizers of the kitchen tent voluntarily shut down their cooking facilities after a visit by d.c. health department in

stacy cohan is live at macpherson square with the latest. >> reporter: they've been here about 3 1/2 months now and it seems like everybody is sleeping quietly on what may be the last night of sleep as the police will arrive here around noon to begin enforcing the no camping rule. i can tell you that the police were out here yesterday distributing flyers and letting the occupiers know they would begin enforcing this rule. however, some of the occupiers were not a fan of that information. there was one protester who was arrested and in fact, it appears police useed a taser during that arrest. now, they are going to be allowed to remain in the park as a form of protest but they are no longer allowed to sleep here. we did speak to some members of the occupy movement and they say they may simply refuse to leave. >> it is unprofessional. they almost started a riot. tasers are used in last case scenarios, life threatening situations and he had his hundreds in the air and was tased in the back. >> reporter: this enforcement comes after a hearing on the hill last week where republican lawmak

protesters to vacate macpherson square north of the white house. they are still there. police threatened to enforce the no carving rule in the square but so far they have not moved in. some observers say they might be waiting for nightfall. about 40 protesters are under a tarp they draped over the statue of the major general james b. macpherson. >>> we have continuing coverage of the occupy protesters on ktvu.com. look for the link at the top of the page. >>> buying a new home in san francisco could become more expensive because of a proposed construction fee. according to the san francisco examiner, the fee would require residential developers to pay almost $6 per square foot of work. the fee is being proposed by muni and the money would go to funding transportation projects. the residential builders say it will be a huge cost burden and most builders will not be able to afford it. >>> state and local mosquito experts are meeting in burlingame today to discuss how a federal court ruling could affect their efforts to curb west nile virus. the ruling last fall requires m

today, one of the last cities to get rid of the tents the tents are gone from macpherson square.tents are gone and drum circles quiet is the occupy movement over? >> absolutely not. i think the occupy movement did a brilliant job of what it was out to accomplish, which is to get publicity. at thanksgiving time, almost every table in the country was talking about the 99 versus the 1%, which in terms of getting publicity for a movement, it's just unbelievable. it was brilliant and it was absolutely effective. >> what do you think the lasting impact is going to be? >> i think that everyone feels that they're not alone. it used to be i think before the occupy movement, everyone felt that we were resolved angry about issues and there was nothing we could do about it really and that's just the way it was. people realize now that everyone is feeling sort of left out of the democratic process and that we're not going to go back to just accepting it. i'm not sure exactly what form it will take, but when hit does, people are ready to get involved. >> i think certainly one of the building w

made it clear that they were going to leave and they constructed a tent of dreams around the macpherson square statue. here in the clear city squares a symbolic protest and we're dreaming of a better world and by not letting us sleep they're not letting us dream and that's what the police have ordered us to do we're allowed to stay here but we're not allowed to sleep here but sleeping is an integral part of our protest and so if they're not letting a sleep they're not letting us dream of a better world. occupiers continued their peaceful protest for dancing chanting familiar phrases like this is what democracy looks like right now police have not made a move yet your mood.

but as the cold weather sets in, we're told the encampments in macpherson square are starting to shrink. about 100 people remain in the area protesting government waste and corporate greed. >>> three days into the new year and d.c. police are investigating their second homicide. it happened a few hours ago in northeast d.c. police say a man was shot a number of times inside his house in the 45th street. that's near the d.c./maryland line. they have not released any details about a suspect or a motive in this case. >>> and a d.c. nightclub where a double stabbing occurred last week has now lost its liquor license. police chief kathy lanier shut down the place, it's called the mood lounge. she shut it down last friday for 96 hours. the two people who were stabbed outside the club are expected to survive. ward 2 councilman jack evans said neighbors had complained about the violence, the noise and the trash around the club even before the stabbing. >>> tonight a man has confessed to a string of arson attacks at an islamic cultural center and four other locations in new york on new year's da

well i just left both of the occupy camp said macpherson square to freedom plaza and there's no sign of any police action there are a lot of people at both camps the people of macpherson have put up a great big blue tent over a statue a war statue and it's called the tent of dreams where we talk about their dreams for free healthcare affordable education taxing the wealthy and the dreams that we all have for a fair economy so at this point the police are acting of course we've seen in other occupiers around the country that the police will give a deadline a lot of people come out to support the occupy and then a day or two later the please come back when the last people around are in the middle and i come back with those people around when they take the action so people will be vigilant but there's obviously lost support still for the occupy movement and the vision they have for a fair economy and a shrinking wealth divide let's talk about the way the police dealing with this we've seen video of a seemingly innocent protest of being tasered by an officer in the middle of an occupy cam

parks 24/7 despite repeated warnings they can no longer sleep there stacy cohan live at macpherson square with more. >> reporter: things are looking pretty much like they have been looking for the past several months. the tents are here and in a cheer violation, most of them are closed up tight. some are likely occupied. they are not supposed to be occupied overnight. when the u.s. park police began enforcing the no camping rule, part of that included keeping the tents open, removing all sleeping gear, blankets, sleeping bags, all kitchen equipment. the tent could remain but they are not supposed to be sleeping here. yesterday, police walked through and they did inspections there. have been no arrests made at this point. in an act of defiance, the frosters draped a giant blue tarp over general james macpherson's statue. >> we decided if they're going to push us u.s. out, we'll make it worth their while and we'll build a giant tent on the statue they covet so much. >> if they can tell me where in the first amendment it says can't sleep, i'll agree with them. >> reporter: they have been in

. >>> it may be the end of the road for protesters sleeping in macpherson square. they were told the encampments must be turned down. this comes after asking why they were allowed to sleep illegally in the park. >>> maryland lawmakers are trying again to pass a same-sex marriage bill. governor martin o'malley says this latest version brings more clarity to the issue of protecting relimbous freedom than a bill that fell short in the general assembly last year. a same-sex marriage bill passed the senate last year but it stalled in the house of delegates. >>> d.c. police hope some surveillance video will help solve a murder. take a look at this video. this was recorded on november 26th, moments after a deadly shooting on mount olivet road in northeast. we are told the car in this video is the getaway car. can you seat suspected gunman run across a parking lot where the shooting happened. then he hops into the car which then sped off. the car is believed to be a gold are to tan mitsubishi galant. an 18-year-old was killed in that shooting. >>> a man is being rescued af

>> starting today, park officials will begin enforcing a no camping law at freedom plaza and macpherson square. the protesters are not going down without a fight. stacy cohan has the latest. >> reporter: good morning. there was quite a confrontation here yesterday and a video posted online. you can see police clashing with one protester in particular. you could hear some screaming in the background and it remains to be seen what is going to happen later today when the police return. this is video of the u.s. park police moving into to arrest an occupier who they say tore down players about the no camping regulations that take effect at noon monday. when he keeps backing away, things get ugly. gly. jake shot this video that has now been posted to youtube and twitter. >> it is unprofessional. they almost started a riot. tasers are used in last case scenarios, life-threatening situations. he had his hands in the air and was tased in the back. >> reporter: lieutenant steve godfrey issued this statement. there is no indication that the officers used excessive force. we monitor all use of force inci