The armed militia occupying a wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon plans to tell the local town of Burns on Friday how and when it plans to end its protest – it just needs to find a space to hold a community meeting.
With the second week of the occupation of the Malheur national wildlife refuge coming to a close, Ammon Bundy and his fellow militiamen have said that on Friday at 7pm, they want to come to Burns – the closest town to the compound, located 30 miles away – to speak directly with residents and explain their plans to leave the federal lands.
But officials in rural Harney County, who have become increasingly outspoken against the militia, have denied them access to public buildings, saying they refuse to host a group that supports the illegal takeover of government property.
By Thursday, Bundy, the leader of the militia from Nevada, was expressing doubts about whether the meeting would happen at all if the militia can’t find a venue. If the meeting does move forward as planned, it will be the first time the militia leaves the wildlife sanctuary for a formal public meeting with Burns residents – many of whom have loudly demanded that the occupiers go home.
The rightwing militia, which is made up of mostly out-of-state anti-government activists, first took over the refuge on 2 January in protest of the federal government’s land-use regulations and the recent imprisonment of two Harney County ranchers, Dwight Hammond, and his son Steven. From the start, however, many residents of Burns – including ranchers who are supportive of Bundy’s message against government overreach – have criticized the militant tactics, saying they were harming the reputation of their small ranching community.
Harney County judge Steve Grasty, one of the most vocal local opponents of the Bundy bunch, released a statement on Wednesday saying the county would not allow the militia to enter government buildings for a forum.
“The County must deny use of those facilities to any group associated with, supportive of or on behalf of the armed militants at the Refuge,” the statement said. “The County does not take this action lightly. The Harney County message to the armed militia remains steadfast, ‘please go home to your families’.”
Tensions surrounding the venue of Friday’s meeting escalated on Thursday when Chris Briels, a county fire marshal, resigned from his post in protest of Grasty’s refusal to grant the militia access to a county room. Briels, a former Burns fire chief, announced his resignation during a news conference at the refuge while standing alongside Bundy.
Earlier in the week, LaVoy Finicum, one of the main spokesmen of the militia,told reporters at the refuge: “We will be going into town and holding a meeting with the community, to explain to the community … why we’re here and when we will be leaving. And that will be important.” He said: “We invite all to attend.”
The announcement of a community meeting was significant after days of speculation that the occupation could come to an end, given that Bundy said he plans to eventually accept Harney County sheriff Dave Ward’s invitation to peacefully escort the occupiers off the refuge and out of the state.
Bundy has said he hopes to transfer his cause to a so-called Harney County Committee of Safety, a new group made up of local representatives. Last Friday,members of that group said they were eager to take over the fight and for the militia to leave - but Bundy has repeatedly said he’s not ready to end the occupation.
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