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CNN Live At Daybreak

After Confrontation Between New York's Finest and Bravest, Search Through Rubble Goes On

Aired November 05, 2001 - 08:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: After an in-your-face confrontation between New York's finest and bravest, firefighters at ground zero on Friday, the search through the rubble goes on.

CNN's Michael Okwu joins us live from what used to be the Twin Towers site.

Michael, any sense today on whether those tempers have cooled off at all?

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I do not believe that the tempers have cooled down today, Paula. You know, we are waiting to see what else might develop today. Firefighters are still very bitterly unhappy over the mayor's decision to scale down their numbers here at ground zero, and quite dramatically. Yesterday, the president of the union representing fire officers was charged with criminal trespass one day after the head of firefighters union was arrested on the same charge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. PETER GORMAN, UNIFORMED FIRE OFFICERS ASSN.: We have said all along that the police just pulled 12 people out during a peaceful protest. I think what happened today from the felony charges to the reductions to two dismissals show that we were exactly right, and believe ultimately these charges will be dismissed, and we think it was an overzealous, ranking member of the NYPD, not the police officers themselves. There charges were trumped up from the mayor's office, from the police commissioner, fire commissioner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: Now all of this of course stems from a very emotional protest on Friday, where five police officers were injured in a scuffle will with firefighters; 12 firefighters were arrested on felony charges and inciting a riot. Now over the weekend, those charges were either dropped or reduced, but it has done little to cool tempers in the city's fire department. The mayor says the decision done for safety reasons, and he is called actions of the firefighters unacceptable. The police department says it will not tolerate further violence.

Now we want to show you live pictures of ground zero. It continues to smoke even today, weeks after September 11th. There are still 3,933 people missing in the rubble. Firefighters want to be part of the recovery effort, because there's so many firefighters they personally know still buried underneath the rubble. They would like to continue to work the site, so when they find remains properly pay their respects -- Paula.

ZAHN: Michael, thanks. Very sad.

O'BRIEN: It is sad.

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