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On January 2, 2016, armed members of several rump militias took control of the headquarters building at the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]]'s [[Malheur National Wildlife Refuge]] in protest of the pending imprisonment of [[Harney County, Oregon]] ranchers Dwight and Steve Hammond. The event in [[eastern Oregon]] is connected with the [[Bundy standoff]]. The Hammonds have rejected the intervention of militias and disclaimed affiliation with the Bundy family.
On January 2, 2016, armed members of several rump militias took control of the headquarters building at the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]]'s [[Malheur National Wildlife Refuge]] in protest of the pending imprisonment of [[Harney County, Oregon]] ranchers Dwight and Steve Hammond. The event in [[eastern Oregon]] is connected with the [[Bundy standoff]]. The Hammonds have rejected the intervention of militias and disclaimed affiliation with the Bundy family.


Some of the militia members stated that they were ready to "kill and be killed".<ref>{{cite news|title=US militia ready to ‘kill and be killed’|url=http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/bundy-brothers-and-armed-us-militia-occupy-oregon-wildlife-refuge-headquarters/news-story/0ca7740cf0faaacaae64c616d4d87b7d}}</ref> The takeover sparked a debate on the meaning of terrorism.<ref>{{cite news|title=Armed militia takeover in Oregon sparks debate on meaning of "terrorist" - CBS News|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/armed-militia-takeover-oregon-debate-meaning-of-terrorist/}}</ref>
Some of the militia members stated that they were ready to "kill and be killed".<ref>{{cite news|title=US militia ready to ‘kill and be killed’|url=http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/bundy-brothers-and-armed-us-militia-occupy-oregon-wildlife-refuge-headquarters/news-story/0ca7740cf0faaacaae64c616d4d87b7d}}</ref> The takeover sparked a debate on the meaning of terrorism.<ref>{{cite news|title=Armed militia takeover in Oregon sparks debate on meaning of "terrorist" - CBS News|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/armed-militia-takeover-oregon-debate-meaning-of-terrorist/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=On #OregonUnderAttack and #YallQaeda: Stop Calling Everyone a Terrorist - Hit & Run : Reason.com|url=https://reason.com/blog/2016/01/03/on-oregonunderattack-and-yallqaeda-stop}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Defining Domestic Terrorism Part Three_ Conservative Politicians Downplay Threat from the Far Right _ Phillip Martin|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phillip-martin/right-wing-terrorism_b_8907358.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Corporate Media Oulets Are Whitewashing Domestic Terrorism In Oregon | Free Speech TV|url=https://www.freespeech.org/video/corporate-media-oulets-are-whitewashing-domestic-terrorism-oregon}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Why aren’t we calling the Oregon militia ‘terrorists?’|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/03/why-arent-we-calling-the-oregon-militia-terrorists/}}</ref>



==Background==
==Background==

Revision as of 00:22, 4 January 2016

Malheur incident
The headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (pictured in 2008) was occupied by rump militias[citation needed] on January 2, 2016.
DateJanuary 2, 2016 – present
Location
Harney County, Oregon, United States
MethodsDemonstration, occupation
StatusOngoing
Parties
3 Percenters[3]
unspecified other rump militias
Lead figures
  • Richard Evans (Oregon State Police)
  • David Ward (Harney County Sheriff)
  • Ammon Bundy
  • Ryan Bundy
  • Jon Ritzheimer
  • Ryan Payne
Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is located in Oregon
Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Location within Oregon

On January 2, 2016, armed members of several rump militias took control of the headquarters building at the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in protest of the pending imprisonment of Harney County, Oregon ranchers Dwight and Steve Hammond. The event in eastern Oregon is connected with the Bundy standoff. The Hammonds have rejected the intervention of militias and disclaimed affiliation with the Bundy family.

Some of the militia members stated that they were ready to "kill and be killed".[4] The takeover sparked a debate on the meaning of terrorism.[5][6][7][8][9]


Background

Harney County

Harney County is an expansive, rural county in central Oregon. At more than 10,000 square miles (26,000 km2) in size it is larger than the six smallest U.S. states, but has a population of less than 8,000. More than 60-percent of land in the county is public land owned by the United States and administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

Harney County is a large, sparsely populated county in eastern Oregon.

According to the website of the Harney County Sheriff's Office, the sheriff has a staff of six law enforcement officers.[10] The county seat, Burns, Oregon, has a separate police department but, as of 2008, did not employ enough officers to provide "24-hour coverage".[11]

Origins of dispute

Dwight Hammond, a cattle rancher in Harney County, owns 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) of land, much of which abuts public land. In 1994 Hammond and his son Steve obstructed the construction of a fence to delineate the boundary between the two parcels of property, prompting their arrest by federal agents. According to federal officials, construction of the fence was needed to stop the Hammond cattle from moving along a cattle trail that intersected public land after the Hammonds had repeatedly violated the terms of their permit, which limited when they could move their cows across refuge property.[12] Officials also reported Hammond had made threats against them in 1986 and 1988, including telling one public lands manager that he was going to "tear off his head and shit down his neck". They also contended Steve Hammond had called them "assholes".[13] The Hammonds, however, countered by noting that the cattle trail in question was a historic route that had been continuously used since 1871.[12]

Following their release from jail on recognizance, a rally attended by 500 other cattle ranchers was held in support of the Hammonds in Burns and congressman Robert Freeman Smith penned a letter of protest to then United States Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt.[12] Voters in Harney County successfully recalled two members of the county commission in anger that the commission had not intervened on the Hammonds behalf.[13] Charges against the Hammonds were later dropped.

Hammond arson case

Dwight and Steve Hammond were convicted of arson in 2012 for setting fires on federal land adjacent to their property near Burns in 2001 and 2006.[14] Federal prosecutors said the first fire was set to conceal the site of an illegal deer hunt, while the second fire was an unauthorized backburn set on the slopes below a firefighting camp.[15] According to the Hammonds, they set the first fire to stop invasive plants from growing onto their grazing fields.[16]

Following their conviction, federal prosecutors requested a five-year sentence for each of the Hammonds as provided for under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.[15] However, judge Michael Robert Hogan determined sentences of that length "would shock the conscience" and violated the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, ordering the Hammonds imprisoned for sharply reduced terms of one year, which both men served.[17] Federal prosecutors successfully appealed the reduced sentences and, in an October 2015 resentencing, the pair were ordered to return to prison on January 4, 2016.[17]

In a separate 2014 civil judgment, the Hammonds were ordered to pay $400,000 in restitution to the U.S. government. The pair paid half the amount immediately and the remaining $200,000 in December 2015.[15]

Opposition to sentences

A petition requesting leniency for the Hammonds began circulating prior to their resentencing. Organized by the Oregon Farm Bureau, it had gathered more than 2,000 signatures by October 2015 and the pair's attorney said he hoped it would convince President of the United States Barack Obama to offer clemency.[17] Meanwhile, the Oregon Cattleman's Association, a trade group representing cattle ranchers in Oregon, established a fund to defray the Hammond's legal fees.[18]

Ammon Bundy, pictured here in 2014, was one of the leaders of the occupation of the MNWR.

By late 2015, the Hammond case had attracted the attention of members of the family of Cliven Bundy, including sons Ammon and Ryan. The Bundys publicized the situation via social media, drawing interest from militia groups outside Oregon who sought to publicly endorse the Hammonds to draw attention to unrelated issues.[14][19] The Hammonds rejected the offers of assistance with Hammond attorney W. Alan Schroeder writing that "neither Ammon Bundy nor anyone within his group/organization speak for the Hammond family."[2] Harney County sheriff David Ward agreed to meet with the militia members who requested the sheriff's office protect the Hammonds from being taken into custody by federal authorities. Though Ward said he sympathized with the Hammonds plight, he declined the militias request. According to Ward, he subsequently became the target of "emailed death threats."[14]

Militia occupation

Prelude

In December 2015 Ammon Bundy and Ryan Payne, the latter man a U.S. Army veteran and electrician from Montana, set-up residence in Burns. The same month they organized a meeting at the Harney County fairgrounds to rally support for their efforts.[14] At the meeting, a "Committee of Safety" was organized to orchestrate direct action against the Hammond sentences.[14] According to that group's website, the Committee of Safety considers itself "a governmental body established by the people in the absence of the ability of the existing government to provide for the needs and protection of civilized society"[20] (during the American Revolution, committees of safety were shadow governments organized to usurp authority from colonial administrators). Over the following weeks, an increasing number of out-of-state members of militias began arriving in Burns, prompting both opposition and support from area residents.[14]

On January 1, a privately-organized public forum held at the Harney County fairgrounds was attended by about 60 local residents and members of militias. A Burns-area resident who organized the event, described it as an opportunity to defuse tensions that had been simmering between locals and out-of-town militia in the preceding days. According to press accounts, the event lasted about two hours and "shifted from sometimes profanity-laden declarations to agreements the Hammonds had been too harshly treated and that a peaceful rally might do some good."[21]

On January 2, 2016 a crowd of about 300 persons gathered at 12:00 p.m. in the parking lot of a Safeway in Burns. Following 40 minutes of speeches, the crowd marched one mile to the home of Dwight and Steve Hammond, stopping briefly en route to protest outside the sheriff's office. The crowd then returned to the same Safeway and broke up, the entire march lasting approximately ninety minutes. According to KOIN-TV, there was "no visible police presence at any point."[19][16]

Occupation of refuge

In what appeared to be a pre-planned operation, two sons of Cliven Bundy – Ammon Bundy and Ryan Bundy – along with Jon Ritzheimer[22] and members of the militias, separated from the protest crowd at some point during the day and proceeded to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, 30 miles away.[1] There, they began occupying unstaffed buildings on the property and set-up a roadblock on an access drive.[1] In a video posted to his Facebook page, Ammon Bundy called on supporters to converge on the facility which he described as "the tool to do all the tyranny that has been placed upon the Hammonds."[2]

According to The Oregonian, Ryan Bundy has stated that the group wants the Hammonds to be released and for the federal government to relinquish control of the Malheur National Forest.[22]

As of January 2, the militia leaders claimed to have 150 armed personnel available at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. A reporter personally witnessed "no more than a dozen" potential combatants.[23] A separate report by Oregon Public Broadcasting put the number of the militia at the MNWR at "between six and 12."[24] In a statement posted to the Facebook page of the Idaho 3 Percenters, one of the militias identified by media as involved in the takeover, the group disclaimed involvement, stating that the seizure was "carried out by a small group of persons who chose to carry out this takeover after the rally."[25]

At 4:02 p.m. on January 2, the official Facebook page of the Mahleur National Wildlife Refuge posted an update that read "The Refuge will be CLOSED until further notice."[26]

Maureen Peltier, a soldier with the Washington Army National Guard who traveled to Burns to participate in the protest, reported to media on January 3 that the militias in control of the MNWR were in "high spirits" and had "a good security team," and disputed the characterization of the incident as an "armed standoff." Peltier also reported that the occupiers were moving children onto the MNWR grounds and calling for like-minded persons to join them.[27]

At 11:00 a.m. on January 3, Ammon Bundy called a press conference at the MNWR headquarters building. During the conference, Bundy said the ultimate goal of the occupiers was to "get the economics here in the county revived" for logging and outdoor recreation, and claimed that they were being supplied by area residents.[28] Despite the smaller estimates of militia at the refuge in early press reports an Oregonian reporter who attended the press conference said he believed there were roughly 20 to 25 persons present and that the militants had deployed into defensive positions with elements manning a roadblock, guarding the headquarters entry, and stationed in a watch tower usually used to watch for forest fires. Additional militia forces were located inside the facility's buildings. [29]

Law enforcement response

On January 2, 2016, the Harney County sheriff's office reported the Oregon State Police was "handling the incident". At the same time, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the agency was "aware" of the situation.[2] However, late in the day on January 2, a reporter for The Guardian observed that "there appeared to be no law enforcement agents in the area".[19] By the following day, The Oregonian reported that the FBI was in command of the law enforcement response to the incident since it involved federal property, and that the Harney County Sheriff's Office was involved in the response as well.[1] However, law enforcement had not approached the refuge or blocked access to it.[1] Sheriff David Ward noted that the intended goal of the seizure was to overthrow the local and federal government.[30][31]

Reactions

  • Following the seizure of the MNWR facilities, on January 2, 2016, the Harney County School District ordered all schools in the county closed for one week.[24]
  • The anti-government group Oath Keepers, in a statement published to its website prior to the seizure of the MNWR facilities, said "we cannot force ourselves or our protection on people who do not want it. Dwight and Steven Hammond have made it clear, through their attorney, that they just want to turn themselves in and serve out their sentence. And that clear statement of their intent should be the end of the discussion on this."[32]
  • Cliven Bundy, the father of Ammon and Ryan Bundy, said he was not involved in organizing the takeover of the MNWR facilities and said it was "not exactly what I thought should happen".[19]
  • On Twitter, media and observers posted about the incident using the hashtag "#OregonUnderAttack."[33]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Zaitz, Les (January 3, 2016). "Militia continue occupation of Oregon refuge, police keep low profile". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d Stack, Liam (January 2, 2016). "Militiamen Occupy Oregon Wildlife Refuge in Protest of Ranchers' Prison Terms". The New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  3. ^ "Militia takes over wildlife refuge HQ after peaceful Burns protest". KTVZ-TV. January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  4. ^ "US militia ready to 'kill and be killed'".
  5. ^ "Armed militia takeover in Oregon sparks debate on meaning of "terrorist" - CBS News".
  6. ^ "On #OregonUnderAttack and #YallQaeda: Stop Calling Everyone a Terrorist - Hit & Run : Reason.com".
  7. ^ "Defining Domestic Terrorism Part Three_ Conservative Politicians Downplay Threat from the Far Right _ Phillip Martin". {{cite news}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 100 (help)
  8. ^ "Corporate Media Oulets Are Whitewashing Domestic Terrorism In Oregon". {{cite news}}: Text "Free Speech TV" ignored (help)
  9. ^ "Why aren't we calling the Oregon militia 'terrorists?'".
  10. ^ "Sheriff". co.harney.or.us. Harney County, Oregon. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  11. ^ Brown, Lauren (February 20, 2008). "Burns, Hines set to share police chief". Burns Times-Herald. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c Durbin, Kathie (October 3, 1994). "Ranchers arrested at wildlife refuge". High Country News. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  13. ^ a b St. Clair, Jeffrey (January 31, 2010). "Disquiet on the Western Front: Showdown in the Malheur Marshes". Salem News. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Zaitz, Les (December 30, 2015). "Militiamen, ranchers in showdown for soul of Burns". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ a b c Zaitz, Les (December 31, 2015). "Oregon ranchers' fight with feds sparks militias' interest". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ a b "Anti-gov't protesters march through Burns". KOIN-TV. January 2, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  17. ^ a b c Perkowski, Mateusz (January 3, 2016). "Judge sends Oregon ranchers back to prison". Capital Press. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  18. ^ Hadley, C.J., ed. (2015). "Late News" (PDF). Range Magazine. XXIV (4). Carson City, Nevada: Range Education Foundation: 4. ISSN 1093-3670. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2016. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ a b c d Wilson, Jason. "Oregon militia threatens showdown with US agents at wildlife refuge". The Guardian. No. January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  20. ^ "Harney County Committee of Safety". hccommitteeofsafety.org. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  21. ^ Zaitz, Les (January 2, 2016). "Burns residents confront the militia over fears of violence". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ a b Zaitz, Les (January 2, 2016). "Militia takes over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ Whitnall, Adam (January 3, 2016). "'Oregon Under Attack': Anger over limited response to hostile militia takeover of US government building". The Independent. London. ISSN 0951-9467. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ a b Mesh, Aaron (January 2, 2016). "Militia Group Takes Over Federal Building in Eastern Oregon Because 'The Lord Was Not Pleased'". Willamette Week. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  25. ^ Berry, Harrison (January 3, 2016). "Militia Group Seizes Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters". Boise Weekly. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  26. ^ "Mahleur National Wildlife Refuge Facebook Page". Facebook. Mahleur National Wildlife Refuge. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  27. ^ Crombie, Noelle (January 3, 2016). "Oregon militants in high spirits, ready for long wait at refuge, supporter says". Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Zaitz, Les. "Militant leader explains intentions on Oregon refuge takeover". Oregonian. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  29. ^ Zaitz, Les (January 3, 2016). "Oregon militant leader Ammon Bundy exudes calm as he presides over occupation". Oregonian. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  30. ^ KTVZ.COM (January 3, 2016). "Sheriff: Refuge occupiers seek to 'overthrow government'". KTVZ. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  31. ^ "Oregon sheriff says refuge occupiers trying to overthrow government". latimes.com. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  32. ^ "The Hammond Family Does NOT Want an Armed Stand Off, and Nobody Has a Right to Force One On Them". oathkeepers.org. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  33. ^ "#OregonUnderAttack: Tweets about militia takeover". KOIN-TV. January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
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