The costs to the county will grow if the militia continues to stake out the wildlife refuge, despite please from local residents for them to leave. Apparently right-wing militias are very earnest and really believed that no one would even think to troll them, because according to the video above, they’re surprised and disappointed that they received a bunch of dicks.
Advertisement
The group of ranchers is sitting out a protest in Malheur Wildlife Refuge for 10 days through cold temperatures and dwindling food supplies in a bid to change federal laws on land management.
“We’re not going to be deterred”, he says.
The location for the meeting has become a wedge between the Harney County Committee of Safety and the county government, once loosely allied in their desire for Bundy to leave town.
A few hours later Ward said via Twitter that because of Bundy’s stance he was calling off plans to have another meeting with him.
The armed protesters haven’t just claimed the refuge – they’re changing it.
Bundy and his out-of-state crew say they want the federal government to give local ranchers control of public land in rural OR – and that they plan to stay put until they are confident that Burns residents are in a good position to advocate for their land-use rights.
“Removing fences, damaging any Refuge property, or unauthorized use of equipment would be additional unlawful actions by the illegal occupiers”, Fish and Wildlife said in a statement.
The Oregonian (bit.ly/1SQnaVx) reports that officials in Burns, about 30 miles from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, said the meeting can’t be held at the Harney County fairgrounds or any other county facility.
On Tuesday, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials contacted ranchers who hold grazing permits there to caution them that their documents may have been accessed. “Because of that, there are no planned meetings or calls at this time”, Ward said.
Other people are coming from afar to protest the protesters, according to KTVZ.
There has been much conjecture amongst the public regarding the lack of force used by the government to remove them, in contrast to the forced used in cities such as Ferguson, MO and Baltimore, MD when protesters gathered to speak out against police brutality. The Hammonds’ case set off the occupation of the Burns-area refuge on January 2.
Walden told the AP on Monday that while he does not condone the occupation, the armed men “have elevated the knowledge of frustration people feel in this high desert county”. “Let’s not candy-coat this thing – they are terrorists”.
Advertisement
“I see this community more divided than I’ve ever seen it before – and we’re better than that”, said another resident.
