Occupiers tell convoy their help not needed
The wildlife refuge in Oregon was taken over on Jan. 2.
burns, ore.» A group of armed men from around the Pacific Northwest who Saturday morning arrived at the occupied national wildlife refuge in Oregon left that afternoon after the people leading the occupation told them they were not needed.
Todd MacFarlane, a Utah lawyer acting as a mediator, said occupation leader Ammon Bundy didn’t want the armed visitors there and was concerned about the perception they conveyed.
The Oregonian reported Bundy told them they didn’t need the security services the arrivals were offering for the group that has occupied the headquarters of the refuge since Jan. 2.
MacFarlane says Bundy and the other leaders of the occupation were “alarmed” by the arrival of the Pacific Patriot Network members, some of whom were carrying rifles.
Pacific Patriot Network described itself as a consortium of groups from Oregon, Washington and Idaho. They arrived at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge midmorning, carrying rifles and handguns and dressed in military attire and bulletproof vests.
Their leader, Brandon Curtiss, said the group came to “de-escalate” the situation by providing security for those inside and outside the compound.
One of the original occupiers of the refuge, LaVoy Finicum, said the group appreciates the Pacific Patriot Network’s help, but “we want the long guns put away.”
Curtiss said the new group would not stay inside the refuge but is patrolling the perimeter.
“We are not the militia, and we are not a militia,” he said, adding that they were there “for everybody’s safety, on both sides.”
Bundy has repeatedly rejected calls to leave buildings at the refuge despite pleas from the county sheriff, from many local residents, Oregon’s governor and others.
On Saturday, occupiers drove government-owned vehicles and heavy equipment around the compound, saying the trucks and backhoes now belong to the local community. They also covered the national refuge sign with a new sign saying, “Harney County Resource Center,” in white block letters over a blue background.
The Harney County Joint Information Center put out a statement on Saturday, saying they continue to work for a peaceful solution.