Armed militia in Oregon takes over U.S. federal building as part of protest
Several members of the Bundy family are among the occupiers of the wildlife refuge, who are protesting the prison sentence of a pair of ranchers convicted of arson.
A group of activists and militia members occupy
the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, protesting the
federal prosecution of two ranchers.
An armed militia took over a building at a
national wildlife refuge in Oregon late Saturday and vows to occupy the
outpost for years to protest the federal government’s treatment of a
pair of ranchers facing prison time.
Prosecutors said the father and son set the
fire, which burned about 130 acres in 2001 on leased federal land, to
conceal poaching, according to CNN. The Hammonds argued that they were
attempting to reduce the growth of invasive plant species and ward off
potential wildfires. The pair was sentenced to five years in prison.
Among the occupiers are several members of the
Bundy family, whose patriarch — Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy — was
involved in an armed standoff with government agents over grazing rights
in 2014.
Ammon Bundy told the Oregonian that he and two of his brothers had joined dozens of people in seizing the refuge’s headquarters.
The federal property, managed by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, was closed and unoccupied for the holiday
weekend, the Oregonian reported.
Protesters march in support of an Oregon ranching family facing jail
time for arson in Burns, Ore., on Saturday. As part of the protest, an
armed militia took over a building at a national wildlife refuge in
Oregon late Saturday and vows to occupy the outpost for years.
Ryan Bundy told the Oregonian that the group
isn’t holding hostages and doesn’t want to resort to violence but will
not rule it out if authorities attempt to remove the occupiers from the
property. He said many of the occupiers would be willing to fight — and
die — to reclaim constitutionally protected rights for local land
management, according to The Associated Press.
The group is calling for the Hammonds’ release and said the militia was planning an occupation that lasted “for years.”
“The best possible outcome is that the
ranchers that have been kicked out of the area, then they will come back
and reclaim their land, and the wildlife refuge will be shut down
forever and the federal government will relinquish such control,” Ryan
Bundy told the Oregonian. “What we’re doing is not rebellious. What
we’re doing is in accordance with the Constitution, which is the supreme
law of the land.”
In a video interview with reporters on
Saturday that was posted on Ammon Bundy’s Facebook page, he said the
group is standing up against government “overreach” because “the people
have been abused long enough.”
“I feel we are in a situation where if we do
not do something, if we do not take a hard stand, we’ll be in a position
where we’ll be no longer able to do so,” he said.
A video posted days earlier on Bundy’s Facebook page urged militia members from all over the country to join him:
“**ALL PATRIOTS ITS TIME TO STAND UP NOT STAND DOWN!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! COME PREPARED.”
Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward urged the
public to stay away from the area as authorities work to resolve the
standoff, according to the Oregonian.
“A collective effort from multiple agencies is
currently working on a solution,” Ward said in a statement reported by
the paper. “For the time being please stay away from that area. More
information will be provided as it becomes available. Please maintain a
peaceful and united front and allow us to work through this situation.”
Beth Anne Steele, an FBI spokeswoman in
Portland, told The Associated Press that the bureau was aware of the
situation at the wildlife refuge, but she declined further comment.
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson
told CNN that the agency and the Bureau of Land Management are
monitoring the armed protesters.
“While the situation is ongoing, the main
concern is employee safety, and we can confirm that no federal staff
were in the building at the time of the initial incident,” the
spokesperson said. “We will continue to monitor the situation.”
Cliven Bundy told Oregon Public Broadcasting
on Saturday night that he wasn’t involved in the standoff, but he struck
a sympathetic tone.
“That’s not exactly what I thought should
happen, but I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “You know, if the
Hammonds wouldn’t stand, if the sheriff didn’t stand, then, you know,
the people had to do something. And I guess this is what they did decide
to do. I wasn’t in on that.”
Late Saturday, the occupiers blocked the
entrance of the federal headquarters with a pickup truck and placed an
American flag over the welcome sign, according to Oregon Public
Broadcasting. An Oregon State Police car “idled by the side of the road
just outside Burns,” the broadcaster reported, but there were no signs
of a larger law enforcement presence in the area.
“We are not hurting anybody or damaging any
property,” Ammon Bundy told OPB. “We would expect that they understand
that we have given them no reason to use lethal force upon us or any
other force.”
Ron Gainer, the owner of a nearby RV park who
dropped off some chili for the occupiers, told the broadcaster that he
counted about 15 people, a half-dozen vehicles and a trailer at the
site. The estimate differed sharply from the Bundy family accounting,
which put the number of people at the refuge at about 150, according to
OPB.
By nightfall, the broadcaster noted, the
temperature had plummeted to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, prompting occupiers
to bundle around a campfire. Some of those present identified themselves
as nearby residents and supporters of the convicted ranchers.
Asked by an OPB reporter how many militia members were at the headquarters, Bundy didn’t divulge.
“I will not disclose,” he said. “Operational security.”
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