Supporters of Malheur Refuge occupiers claim feds caused damage
Supporters of the Malheur National Wildlife refuge occupiers who were arrested at the end of the 41-day takeover hold four news conferences Tuesday at which they claimed it was the federal government — not the occupiers — who caused the damage in recently released photos.
At the Bend event outside the Deschutes County Courthouse, B.J. Soper of the Pacific Patriots Network and former Harney County fire chief Chris Briels said they want evidence of the claimed damage and an itemized list.
Briels said the FBI staged the damage at the refuge to justify the announced damage amount of $1.7 million. (Much of the rest of the costs involve extra law enforcement.)
The evidence presented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tells a different story. According to officials, $1.7 million is needed to restore the refuge headquarters, $2 million to catch up on fire prevention and $2.3 million to increase security at wildlife refuges around the west.
The agency also posted photos of the damage and condition of the refuge in a Flickr photostream.
Soper, a member of the Pacific Patriot Network, said the damages federal officials are claiming don’t add up.
But Soper admitted there could be some damage because everyone left in a panic after Ammon Bundy and other members were arrested and LaVoy Finicum was shot and killed on January 26.
“Come straightforward and be transparent, like they said they’re being — lets see the itemized issues here, and if they’re legitimate, then they’re legitimate,” Soper said.
Supporters said some of the released photos were taken by militia members when they arrived at the refuge.
But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuted those claims in a statement to NewsChannel 21.
Here’s the comments from Jason Holm, assistant regional director for external affairs in Portland:
“With the exception of the three screen shots of occupier social media, all photos were taken by employees of the US Fish & Wildlife Service upon our return to the refuge.
“Please note, these photos are not the official evidence photos. They are merely our agency’s first views upon returning. What constitutes a tolerable mess is apparently open to interpretation and personal lifestyle choices, but the wanton disregard (captured repeatedly on the occupiers’ own footage) toward cultural resources is open to no such interpretation.
“We are confident that the chronicle of the occupation, both in social media and traditional media, provided the American public ample evidence of the motivations and behaviors of the occupiers. Though our photos aren’t evidence, we trust these questions will be sufficiently answered at the conclusion of the legal proceedings,” Holm concluded.
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Here’s the supporters’ full news release:
Eyewitnesses of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation held four simultaneous news conferences in four states today to reject the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (US F&WS) claims that there were $6 million in damages left behind at the refuge.
Las Vegas, NV eyewitnesses include Nevada State Assembly members John Moore and Shelly Shelton, and Stand By Me for Liberty Rally organizer Karen Steelmon.
Bend, OR eyewitnesses include former Harney County Fire Chief Chris Briels and Committee of Safety members Dwayne Schrock, LInsay Tyler and William Wilson.
Salt Lake City, UT eyewitnesses include founder of the oldest women’s gun rights organization Janalee Tobias and Thara Finicum Tenney, LaVoy Finicum’s oldest daughter.
Fredonia, AZ eyewitnesses include Shawna Cox, whose camera has become the centerpiece of evidence for the murder of LaVoy Finicum, LaVoy’s brother Guy Finicum, and Sharla Christie.
On Wednesday, March 23, 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released photos from inside the refuge falsely accusing ranchers LaVoy Finicum, Ammon Bundy and others in the peaceful occupation, of causing $6 million in damages.
There is another side to this story.
SIX MILLION DOLLAR TAXPAYER FRAUD AND COVER-UP
Evidence shows that the U.S. F&WS used photos to justify a $6 million taxpayer-funded money grab. They represented that they took these photos after the occupation ended, when in fact they were taken by the occupiers themselves when they arrived at the refuge to document the disarray and neglect.
Given the information we now have, the FBI and the US F&WS have clearly committed fraud with intent to cover up their misconduct, deceive the taxpayers and incriminate the innocent.
Those involved in this government cover up must be investigated and prosecuted.
In addition, photo and video evidence collected proves that rancher LaVoy Finicum and Ammon Bundy and their followers being held in jail without bond are innocent and we demand their release.
Numerous testimonies from eyewitnesses at the refuge show no damage reported. After LaVoy Finicum was murdered, according to one of the “Final Four” Sandy Anderson, “They [the remaining occupiers] abandoned their belongings and fled for their lives. There was no damage, only minimal disarray left behind. They didn’t have much time.” She also commented that federal officials appear to have tampered with evidence by ransacking their camp site and damaging their property, “running it over with a bulldozer.”
Especially since the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the DHS have built reputations for unconstitutional searches and seizures labeling the victims “domestic terrorists” or “anti-government militants,” ransacking homes and causing permanent damage to private property. These unconstitutional acts terrorize citizens without arrest warrants, violating the Fourth Amendment protections, which was also the case with the citizens of Harney County. The occupiers were the peaceful protestors; it is the federal government – the FBI and its contractors – that must be held responsible.
Ample photos and videos have been assembled that show the “before-and-after” and the disarray of the refuge before the occupation began. Once again, unelected government bureaucrats have found another way to grab funding and waste our hard-earned money.
This spectacle was nothing more than a multimillion dollar Academy award winning production in the fiction category, directed by the FBI and its contractors, featuring a cast of characters from the Oregon State Police, intentionally terrorizing the people to try this case in the media. This matter will be tried constitutionally – in a Court of law.
It wasn’t the ranchers. It wasn’t LaVoy, Ammon, Ryan and the other leaders. That’s not who they are.
Supporters are demanding a line item accounting of this taxpayer funded grab. “We’re asking for transparency and disclosure. We want the procurement applications, the invoices and the proof that justifies the outrageous bill we are paying. The occupiers were peaceful. At no time did they brandish guns. It was the federal government that brought in the military equipment and SWAT teams that we are now told cost over $2 and a quarter million! It was the presence of military artillery and vehicles that terrified the townspeople.
They claim 17 employees and their families were in danger of their lives and that they had to be relocated to hotels. Price tag: $2 million. You will not find a single occupier that will tell you LaVoy Finicum, Ammon and Ryan Bundy were dangerous men.
The American people are outraged when they learn the facts. They are rallying in all 50 states to question the integrity of the bureaucrats that run the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The federal government needs to be accountable for the costs of the supposed “restoration” of the refuge.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
The Audubon Society, an extremist environmentalist NGO that benefits from and advocates for an unconstitutional federal and international take-over of private property, recently called for volunteers to assist with the clean up. At the same time, the refuge was off-limits to the ranchers’ movement, which had hundreds of volunteers willing to donate time to clean up at no cost to taxpayers.
EYEWITNESS TESTIMONIES
During the 41 days of the occupation, ranchers and patriots did not break any laws. They actually improved the condition of the refuge after the government employees let it fall into disrepair. One of the visitors to the refuge, Nevada Assemblyman John Moore commented, “The government bears the burden of proof, and taking this case to the media is not a Court of law where physical proof is actually required.”
“This is not about grass, trash or cows,” said Sharla Christie (Kanab, UT) a visitor at the refuge during the occupation. “It’s about freedom. LaVoy’s and Ammon’s message is about how government has disregarded our laws. The FEDS are violating the law, not the ranchers or the people that supported this protest.”
Chris Briels and others speaking at the multi-state news conferences agree. They know what it looked like and they say these ranchers did nothing to damage the area. He saw them continually cleaning and fixing the place up, from the corral that was filled with horse manure when they arrived, to the kitchen area that was always in order.”
“We took pictures while were there. I know my father,” said Thara Tenney, LaVoy’s oldest daughter. “He was a meticulous man, and he ran a tight ship at the refuge. If people wanted to eat, they first needed to do their part in keeping the refuge well cared for.”
“I saw nothing that was being damaged,” said Janalee Tobias, the founder of the oldest women’s gun rights group in America. “I originally went to make sure they were not doing anything that would create fear or provoke violence, as we were being told in the news. When I arrived, I saw that Ammon and LaVoy had set up everything so calm and peaceful and well-organized. They spent most of their days teaching the locals about how their elected leaders were violating the Constitution and taking away their rights. From the Hammonds to the Bundy’s, what have these people done to deserve the crimes for which they have been put in jail? What has Dave Bundy done? He took pictures of federal agents. Since when is taking pictures a crime that puts you in jail in solitary confinement without bail?”
Sandy Anderson, one of the “Final Four” whose husband Sean is still in a Portland Oregon jail, commented on her reaction to the US F&WS photos. “It looks as though they took our camp site, trashed it and then ran a bulldozer over it. The night LaVoy was murdered, people were fleeing the refuge and left everything behind – no time to pack or take anything with them. They were in fear for their lives. Nothing there was damaged.”
