OR county: Refuge occupiers can’t meet at fairgrounds

The armed militants who have taken over an OR wildlife refuge appear to be moving toward “indicting” county officials who they say mocked them by threatening to impose a $70,000-a-day bill for their ongoing occupation.

An Oregon rancher whose cattle graze next to the national wildlife refuge that an armed group is occupying says he didn’t give them permission to enter his property and remove part of a fence. “There’s so much local support rallying behind what Ammon and those at the refuge are doing”.

“Friday at seven, we will be going into town and holding a meeting with the community to explain to the community … why we are here and when we will be leaving”, LaVoy Finicum said.

The freshman Democratic senator this morning released a letter he wrote to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, urging the U.S. Justice Department to prosecute a group of armed Oregonians who have seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Organizers of the community meeting have said it will go on even if the county does not provide a location.

Federal, state and local law authorities have been closely monitoring the situation at the refuge but have so far taken no action against Bundy and his followers, apparently to avoid a confrontation. He also asked that “No matter how you feel, do not bring food and supplies up to the refuge”, referencing how the protesters have sent out requests for sustenance since they began.

The Burns Paiute tribe was the latest group to speak out against the men, who have taken several buildings at the preserve to protest policies governing the use of federal land in the West.

Since January 2, Ammon Bundy and his not-so-merry band of militiamen/domestic terrorists (they deny both labels) have been occupying a federal installation outside Burns, Oregon. A local gun seller has not, however, seen an increase in business-other than shotgun sales to ranchers, who are dealing with a growing rabbit population.

Rodrique said the armed occupiers are “desecrating one of our sacred sites” with their presence at refuge.

Students arrive at the Hines Middle School after Harney County School District reopened it’s doors Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Hines, Ore.

“We’re not gonna let all your junk and hate mail sidetrack us”, he said before inviting more “patriots” to join their cause.

But some residents also said they share the activists’ frustration with the federal government – though they don’t agree with their tactics.