Crowd at Burns meeting applauds plea that occupiers leave

An overflow crowd of about 300 people packed a Burns meeting room late Wednesday afternoon and gave the Harney County sheriff a standing ovation at the start of a community meeting on the wildlife refuge takeover.

Sheriff David Ward, who has told the armed anti-government protesters they should leave, got thunderous applause when he repeated that request.

Ward also said his wife’s tire was flattened, and his parents were followed., and he had another message for the occupiers: “You don’t get to threaten me because you disagree with me.”

“Are buildings worth killing people over? I say no,” the sheriff said.

And a community member said, “You don’t come to Harney County and threaten people.”

But others said people also are afraid of the Bureau of Land Management, and this line got loud applause: “We’re scared of our government. When did this happen?

Another person in the crowd said, “I may not agree with the Bundys, but they have given us the biggest and best platform.”

The honest, often emotional discussion went on for about two hours.

“I can’t say i don’t appreciate what these folks have done to get the ball rolling.” one said.

And the talk also focused on Dwight Hammond and son Steven, the ranchers who just went back to federal prison to serve out the rest of a five-year sentence on a federal arson conviction.

“Dwight Hammond and Steve Hammond are the nicest people who ever walked a foot of this earth,” said one supporter of the family.

No decisions came out of the meeting — nor were any expected, only an exchange of views, which included some ready to take matters into their own hands.

“A group of us needs to tell them, ‘We recognize what you’ve done for us, but it’s time to go home now,” one said.

—

Earlier story:

The occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge compound outside Burns continued into a fifth day Wednesday, and the group of armed men and women led by Ammon Bundy said they are still not planning on leaving any time soon.

Ward talked Tuesday with NewsChannel 21 in an exclusive interview about his efforts to get the “militants” to leave.

But Ward also said his office is not planning on intervening with the group on the refuge, since the FBI is in charge.

“My main focus is to make sure the community of Harney County is safe,” Ward told NewsChannel 21;s Wanda Moore.

Meanwhile, up on the refuge, it seemed like Groundhog Day, as Bundy gave his daily 11 a.m. news conference, followed by a brief tour of the compound.

The demands are the same.

“We’re here to get the farmer back to farming, the logger back to logging,” Bundy said, again demanding federal land be returned to the community.

Bundy said he is looking for the support of the local community, and for the first time, he spoke of leaving the refuge, though still in fairly vague terms.

“When the community can stand strong enough to defend them themselves, then we can go home,” Bundy said.

On this day, he only gave a very brief statement before he had two men lead him back to the car, driving back down to the compound without answering any questions from the assembled reporters.

Bundy had said earlier that the group would be willing to leave if the community asked them to. But on the compound, the sentiment is that they’re not planning on leaving any time soon.

“They’ve dug their heels in,” said a protester from Redmond who did not want to give his name.

Moore asked one of the group leaders, LaVoy Finicum, if the group was prepared to leave if the community didn’t want them on the refuge.

“We’ve spoken to the community,” Finicum said. “We know we have their support, so that’s the answer to that.”

Bundy is still calling on more supporters to come join their cause, especially from the Harney County community. But on another cold winter day, the only thing that apparently has increased is the snowfall.

Sheriff Ward said it’s time for the group to go home.

“I do not feel like my community wants these people here,” Ward said.

Ward said he has been talking to Bundy and his supporters ever since they got to Burns in November.

“I felt they’ve been giving me ultimatums,” Ward said. “Either I bend to their will, or they’re were going to create civil unrest in my community.”

Later, in a Tuesday night invitation to the community meeting, Ward ratcheted up his hard-line stance on the occupation, referring more than once to the group as “militants” and urging others “who feel strongly about getting these militants out of our county” to join him in the effort. He also “strongly discouraged” others from joining those at the refuge, and said “the disruption to the community has been difficult.”

The sheriff told NewsChannel 21 he loves his country and his community, but this has gone too far.

“I didn’t swear an oath so a handful of people can decide for the rest of us how we’re going to live our lives,” Ward said.

Ward said he hopes Bundy’s group will listen to the wishes of the community.

“They said they would,” Ward said about the group. “If they don’t, then I guess we know what value we can place on their word.”