Standoff between militia, feds at Oregon wildlife refuge
An armed militia is occupying eastern Oregon's Malheur Wildlife Refuge to protest the federal government's treatment of local ranchers. The protesters accuse the Bureau of Land Management of overreach and violations of their constitutional rights.
08 January 2016
01:09 GMTOregon Governor Kate Brown has issued a statement ordering the minutemen to "decamp immediately."
Those illegally occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge need to decamp immediately & be held accountable. 4/4 https://t.co/AYEjibHbSv
— Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) January 7, 2016- 00:24 GMT
The Harney County Sheriff and Ammon Bundy took to Twitter to discuss their meeting.
Sheriff Ward asks Ammon Bundy to please leave and respect the wishes of Harney County residents.
— Harney Cty. Sheriff (@HarneyCoSheriff) January 7, 2016Just had a meeting with Harney County Sheriff David Ward. He offered to escort us out of Oregon. We kindly declined. The protest continues.
— Ammon Bundy (@Ammon_Bundy) January 8, 2016 07 January 2016
23:46 GMTThe meeting between Harney County Sheriff and the Oregon militia has ended for today.
Meeting now over, plans to talk again tomorrow Sheriff Ward called on them for a peaceful resolution #HarneyCounty
— Harney Cty. Sheriff (@HarneyCoSheriff) January 7, 2016- 23:42 GMT
A meeting between Ammon Bundy and Harney County Sheriff David Ward is underway.
Bundy and sheriff meet in high Oregon desert pic.twitter.com/w79c9IMdWx
— Pat Dooris (@PatDooris) January 7, 2016 - 23:29 GMT
The Harney County Sheriff has announced a call to meet with the refuge occupiers.
Sheriff Ward has called a meeting with the folks from the refuge. They agreed to meet and it should take place in the next few minutes.
— Harney Cty. Sheriff (@HarneyCoSheriff) January 7, 2016This meeting is called for a peaceful resolution. Sheriff Ward is NOT there to make an arrest. He's there to ask them to leave #HarneyCounty
— Harney Cty. Sheriff (@HarneyCoSheriff) January 7, 2016 - 21:51 GMT
The militia occupying the Malheur wildlife refuge may as well be shadow-boxing; the absence of a federal response so far makes this a very unusual standoff.
Quiet and cold at #Oregonstandoffpic.twitter.com/drm5UuRpE7
— Katie Fischer (@fischerkatie) January 7, 2016 - 21:51 GMT
Today's major development in the Oregon standoff was the interview the Bundy brothers gave to the 11-year-old reporter for the local school newspaper.
Props to the kid reporter interviewing Ryan Bundy for his school newspaper. #Oregonstandoffpic.twitter.com/EFQ6cnRfLo
— Ian Kullgren (@IanKullgren) January 7, 2016And yes, that is a gaggle of real, adult reporters crowding in on an 11 year old's interview. #Oregonstandoff
— Ian Kullgren (@IanKullgren) January 7, 2016 06 January 2016
17:26 GMTThe local Native American tribe says the land the militia wants to take from the federal government actually belongs to them.
"They are endangering one of our sacred sites," Charlotte Rodrique, the chairwoman of the Burns Paiute Tribe, said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
Burns Paiute tribal chair on #militia takeover of wildlife reserve in #oregon#koin6newspic.twitter.com/Yyt1HoJW2G
— Tim Becker (@timbKOIN) January 6, 2016“I’m, like, hold on a minute, if you want to get technical about it … the land belongs to the Paiute here,” Selena Sam, a member of the tribe’s council who works at a local diner, told Reuters on Tuesday.
- 13:56 GMT
We have remained peaceful. If the authorities raid us unnecessarily we can't guarantee that continues. We are prepared to defend ourselves.
— Ammon Bundy (@Ammon_Bundy) January 6, 2016 - 01:13 GMT
Ammon Bundy's Twitter account is no longer suspended.
I would like to thank everyone for your support. I honestly didn't know my acct. was suspended at first until a member of the media told me.
— Ammon Bundy (@Ammon_Bundy) January 5, 2016