The occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters say they’re supporting two local ranchers near Burns, Oregon – Dwight and Steven Hammond – who own land near the refuge and were sentenced to federal prison for setting public land on fire. His brother Ryan and others in the group have demanded that the Hammonds, who have been ordered to report Monday to a federal prison, be spared jail and that the government relinquish control of the Malheur reserve.
Advertisement
A judge said in October that their terms were too short and ordered them back to prison. He said the group has no plan to use force against anyone.
The decision to send the men back to prison generated an outcry from some, who feel the men are being punished twice for the same crime.
NPR’s Martin Kaste, who is at the scene, told our Newscast unit that it’s not clear how many people are occupying these buildings.
But they don’t believe guns and violence or any kind of standoff with the federal government is the best approach.
“I also think that the sheriff and the county and the city are all doing all that they can to manage the Bundy’s self-serving attention grabbing efforts in a way that prevents Harney County from becoming a rallying cry for every anti-government person in America”. “And so it is our hope that the protesters there will stand down peaceably, that there will not be a violent confrontation”, he said.
The Harney County sheriff says the group occupying the national wildlife refuge came to town under false pretenses. And while the milita group insists they are acting in support of the Hammonds, the Hammonds say they don’t want the protesters at the refuge.
Meanwhile, the White House echoed concerns that the situation “be resolved peacefully without any violence”, but said it “ultimately is a local law enforcement matter”. “They do not mirror our vision, mission statement, or views in regards to upholding the Constitution, The Rule of Law, or Due Process”, according to the news release.
Several pickup trucks continued to block the entrance to the refuge Monday, with armed men wearing camouflage and winter gear stationed outside. Ryan Bundy declined to say how many people were at the site.
They want to “restore the rights to people so they can use the land and resources” for ranching, logging, mining and recreation.
The armed protesters, making up a loosely organized group, said they have as many as 100 people with them. That means ranchers can graze their cattle on the land, miners can use their mineral rights, loggers can cut trees and hunters and fishers can recreate, he said.
At a restaurant near the refuge Sunday, a local man eating supper said he understood the sentiment but didn’t necessarily support the methods of the group.
“We’re planning on staying here for years, absolutely”, Ammon Bundy, 40, told The Oregonian.
Advertisement
“Our goal as we have shown is to restore and defend the Constitution”, Bundy said Monday, speaking outside the refuge’s headquarters. But there was no sign of law enforcement in the area, and local police said they had no intention of going to the scene, not even to keep watch on the militia.
