Armed White Militants Seize Oregon Wildlife Refuge

RSS Feed

Armed White Militants Seize Oregon Wildlife Refuge

January 7th, 2016

Awake Goy

Buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge are seen near Burns, Ore., Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. Protesters are occupying the refuge to object to a prison sentence for local ranchers for burning federal land. (AP Photo/Rebecca Boone)

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge where militia group has occupied buildings in protest to government’s right to own or control land inside the state.

Headquarters for the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge about 30 miles from Burns, OR, were empty for the New Year holiday weekend. That’s when about two dozen militants seized a building on the property and occupied it in protest of federal management of public lands in the west. The refuge contains about 10 small buildings and some were entered by the occupying group. Several pickup trucks blocked the entrance to the refuge, and armed men wearing camouflage and winter gear were stationed outside. Two armed members manned a guard tower that is usually used to spot wildfires. The group has named itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom.

The group splintered off from a rally about ranchers’ rights in the town of Burns. County sheriff David Ward said the men came to the county claiming to be part of militia groups supporting local ranchers, but they actually had “ulterior motives to attempt to overthrow the county and federal government in hopes to spark a movement across the U.S.” Ammon Bundy, co-leader of the self-styled militia, said the group wants the federal government to “remove its unlawful presence in this county.” He says the federally owned wildlife refuge in rural Oregon belongs to the people and is demanding that the federal government relinquish control of the Malheur reserve. Local officials told the protesters to go home.

The protesters say their action is peaceful but they are armed and will defend themselves if authorities use force to remove them. They say they won’t leave until the government addresses their demands.

Reactions to the refuge takeover vary. Some people want to see federal lands opened to more ranching and logging; others are stunned that private citizens with guns could seize government property and not be opposed by law enforcement. Many residents in Burns view the occupation as the work of outside agitators.

The FBI is following policy guidelines instituted to prevent such standoffs from turning deadly. It said it is working with state and local law enforcement for a peaceful resolution to the situation.

Intervention by law enforcement does not seem to be urgent: No one has been hurt. No one is being held hostage. The Malheur Refuge is in the high desert of eastern Oregon, an area that is a bleak wilderness and is very remote. It is the middle of winter.