‘We are not terrorists’
Protesters upset about ranchers’ prison sentence
Standoff in Oregon over federal lands escalates. The protesters say they are in the vanguard of a national trend.
BURNS, Ore. — The remote high desert of eastern Oregon has become a flashpoint for anti-government sentiment as armed protesters occupy a national wildlife refuge to object to a prison sentence for local ranchers for burning federal land.
Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights, was among the people at the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday. It was unclear how many people were taking part in the protests.
Ammon Bundy posted a video on his Facebook page asking for militia members to come help him. He said “this is not a time to stand down. It’s a time to stand up and come to Harney County,” where the occupation is taking place.
Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward said he is working with local and federal authorities to resolve the situation as quickly and peacefully as possible.
Beth Anne Steele, an FBI spokeswoman in Portland, said Saturday that the agency was aware of the situation. She made no further comment.
Bundy and other militia members last month came to Burns, Ore., a small town about 280 miles southeast of Portland. They were upset over the looming prison sentences for local ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond. They went to the wildlife refuge Saturday evening following a peaceful rally in Burns to support the ranchers.
Dwight Hammond, 73, and Steven Hammond, 46, said they lit the fires on federal land in 2001 and 2006 to reduce the growth of invasive plants and protect their property from wildfires.
The two were convicted of arson three years ago and served time — the father three months, the son one year. But a federal judge ruled in October that their terms were too short under U.S. minimum sentencing law and ordered them back to prison for about four years each.
The decision generated controversy and is part of a decadeslong dispute between some in western states and the federal government over the use of public lands. The issue traces to the 1970s and the “Sagebrush Rebellion,” a move by western states such as Nevada to increase local control over federal land.
Critics of the push for more local control have said the federal government should administer the public lands for the widest possible uses, including environmental and recreation.
A peaceful rally Saturday in support of the Hammonds featured speeches, flags and marching.
As marchers reached the courthouse, they tossed hundreds of pennies at the locked door. Their message: Civilians were buying back their government. After the march passed, two girls swooped in to scavenge the pennies.
A few blocks away, marchers planted flower bouquets in the snow.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said most local residents do not support the protesters.
“The overwhelming majority of people there very much want to get on with their lives without this disruption and are not in sympathy with a bunch of outsiders,” said Wyden.
Ryan Bundy, Ammon Bundy’s brother, said Sunday the protesters’ goal is to turn the land over to local authorities so people can use it free of federal oversight. They want to “restore the rights to people so they can use the land and resources” for ranching, logging, mining and recreation, he said.
Ryan Bundy said the federal government has been “tramping on people’s rights and privileges and properties and livelihoods.”
“I understand the land needs to be used wisely, but that’s what we as stewards need to do,” Ryan Bundy said.
“A rancher is going to take care of his own ranch.”
On Sunday, supplies were seen being delivered to the refuge area, which is remote even by rural Oregon standards.
Dwight Hammond has said he and his son plan to peacefully report to prison Monday as ordered by the judge.
Ward, the Harney County sheriff, said the group of armed protesters came to town under false pretenses.
“These men came to Harney County claiming to be part of militia groups supporting local ranchers, when in reality these men had alternative motives to attempt to overthrow the county and federal government in hopes to spark a movement across the United States,” Ward said in a statement Sunday.
Ward is asking people to stay away from the wildlife refuge for their own safety. He said he does not think any other parts of the county are in immediate danger.