The group is there in protest of the imprisonment of OR ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond on federal arson charges after they were accused of lighting fire to their ranch that spread to federal land, among other grievances with the federal government’s land use policies. Burns residents expressed agitation and exasperation with the standoff, since most, if not all, of the participants appear to live outside Harney County. Ward told the hundreds gathered at the meeting he hoped the community would put up a “united front” to peacefully resolve the conflict. The Bundy group has vowed to occupy the wildlife refuge indefinitely, to raise awareness of the “very huge, egregious problem” of federal overreach in public land management.
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Members of the community in Burns, Oregon, have asked the the armed group to leave, but its leaders have said they have no immediate plans to do so.
But it was unclear whether the Thursday meeting at a snowy intersection in southeastern OR would lead to an end of the occupation by Ammon Bundy’s group any time soon. In the Bundy-designed logo, the words “Harney County Resource Center” float over an image of the reserve’s horizon in the glow of dusk.
“Before this thing turns into something negative, which would ruin all of that, I think we need to find a peaceful resolution to help you guys get out of here”, Ward said. He also said his demands that federal land in Harney County be turned over to local residents to manage are being ignored.
To talk about that coverage – and why it took the media so long to begin reporting on the standoff, as well as a fake Twitter post attributed to Ammon Bundy – we talk with Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
“They’re welcome to leave and I’ll escort them outta the county”, Ward said. “I’m not afraid to go out of state”.
About two dozen armed militiamen have occupied a federal wildlife refuge site in OR for the past seven days with no signs of leaving.
He suggested he go back and discuss it with the others that are occupying the federally-owned refuge. Bundy, the son of anti-government rancher Cliven Bundy of Nevada, “kindly declined” the deal, telling reporters, “we always consider what people say”.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday called the occupation of the wildlife refuge “unlawful” and said it had to end.
Locals said they sympathized with the armed group’s complaints about federal land management policies but disagreed with their tactics.
A lawyer for the Hammond family has said that the occupiers do not speak for the family.
Ward “is keeping all options open” the statement said. He got a lot of support during a packed community meeting Wednesday night.
The leader of the group – Ammon Bundy – has repeatedly rejected calls to leave buildings at the refuge despite pleas from the county sheriff, from many local residents, and from Oregon’s governor, among others.
The group took over the headquarters at the wildlife refuge on Saturday following a protest over jail sentences imposed on two ranchers convicted of setting fires on government owned land. Ward told reporters he plans on calling Bundy today to see what his group has decided.
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The brass back in Washington and agents in field offices throughout the West should look back to a different, less infamous siege from 20 years ago, one that offers a more helpful model for responding to these situations.
