A leader of the group Oath Keepers_past and present members of the military, first-responders and police officers who pledge to uphold the Constitution- issued a statement saying Ammon Bundy has gone too far.
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A sign referencing Ammon Bundy and his brother, who are the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, hangs on a tree in front of a home Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in Burns, Ore.
On Wednesday, a reporter asked protester Ammon Bundy about the Paiute claims.
Ammon Bundy, center, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, arrives for a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, near Burns, Ore.
(AP Photo/Rebecca Boone). Arizona rancher LaVoy Finicum speaks to reporters at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, near Burns, Ore.
Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward on Tuesday announced a community meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Harney County Fairgrounds.
All seemed calm at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge south of Burns, Oregon, where a member of the group looked over the area from a watchtower.
While law enforcement has not attempted to recapture the outpost, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading efforts to resolve the impasse and several of the occupiers said they believe there are arrest warrants against them.
Whether they’re being called freedom fighters or “Y’all Qaeda”, the actions of the armed protesters occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Reserve in rural or have elicited strong opinions throughout the country.
In the current wrangle, protestors have accused the U.S. government of unfairly punishing ranchers who refuse to sell their land.
She said the government has become increasingly bureaucratic about allowing the tribe to catch trout, bass and perch in the rivers lacing the mountains and hunt elk and deer in the woods.
The activists seized buildings at the remote Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday.
Neither protesters nor authorities have said how many people are involved in the occupation.
And now a little piece of Bundyville has re-emerged in east-central OR, in the temper and tone of a Bundy family-led crew of armed, anti-government acolytes who are occupying a federal wildlife reserve, calling for Washington to hand control of federal lands to ranchers and local governments and seeking to unwind a century of policy that has shaped the west.
Its ringleaders are Ammon and Ryan Bundy – sons of Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher known for another standoff with the federal government in 2014.
Rodrique said she “had to laugh” at that statement, because she knew Bundy wasn’t talking about giving the land back to the tribe. “We were dragged out of here”, Rodrique said.
As the occupation entered its third day, Ammon Bundy said the group felt it had the support of the local community. Late Tuesday, they moved a large plow vehicle to block the refuge’s driveway.
“And the state’s role is to protect the counties from the federal government – and the county’s role is to protect the people from the state so the people can go about freely using their lands and resources and their rights….”
“I think they will wait a long, long time”, Moore said.
“There’s a lot of frustration built up in the western United States that has to do with out the lands are being managed and regulated and what I am seeing here is that coming to a head”, Soper said.
Seeds of the dispute date back decades in the West, where the federal government owns about half of all land.
For example, it owns 53 percent of OR, 85 percent of Nevada and 66 percent of Utah, according to the Congressional Research Service.
“There’s no question that the 640 million acres of federal public lands are legal and constitutional”, Langston said.
“The locals are starting to support what’s going on the refuge”, Soper said. Many locals don’t want the activists here, fearing they may bring trouble. A community meeting was scheduled for Wednesday.
They also demanded the exoneration of two ranchers Dwight Hammond, 73, and his son Steven, 46, who were convicted of setting fires on government land and turned themselves into custody Monday.
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The ranchers that Ammon Bundy came to defend rejected his assistance and on Monday voluntarily surrendered to serve a federal prison term on a 2012 conviction on charges of committing arson on federal land.
