Oregon Hammonds in custody on arson charges

The Hammonds served their original sentences, but were ordered to return to prison after a judge decided their stints didn’t meet federal sentencing laws.

Witnesses at their trial said that Steven Hammond had illegally slaughtered deer on federal property during a hunting expedition and then handed out matches in order to “light up the whole country on fire”, according to a Justice Department statement.

Meanwhile, two days after taking over a federal building, armed protesters in OR are refusing to budge until they get what they want. He provided no other details.

While Bundy claimed to be acting in behalf of the Hammonds, the soon-to-be-jailed ranchers distanced themselves from the protesters, and their lawyer told police that “neither Ammon Bundy nor anyone within his group/organization speak for the Hammond family”.

The Hammond ranch borders on the southern edge of the OR refuge, a bird sanctuary in the arid high desert in the eastern part of the state, about 305 miles (490 km) southeast of Portland.

For the moment, the federal government was doing nothing to remove them, but the FBI said it was monitoring the situation.

While Ritzheimer’s comments seem a little more aggressive, the group has said it was wants to remain peaceful and without violence. Malheur was established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt to provide nesting grounds for water birds that were endangered by hat makers who used their feathers.

It sits in a wide snow-covered valley rimmed by distant mountains and contains lakes and marshland.

He’s referring to the prison sentences of Dwight and Steven Hammond.

Bundy told reporters he was fighting for freedom for the Hammonds, saying they were harassed for refusing to sell their ranch to the government.

He denounced the fact that “a peaceful protest became an armed and unlawful protest”.

The tactics of the group were condemned by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Bundy said his group is armed but said he would not describe it as a militia.

“We will not forget about how important each person is and how that person has the right to live here on this Earth and has the right to live in liberty and has the right to own property and to be able to reap the fruits of their labors”. “The people have it right now”.

During a press conference in Boone, Iowa, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) urged the militia members to “stand down peacefully”.

Local pastor Brian Burman says he understands the cause but the militants need to stand down.

After the march, Ammon Bundy and others continued to protest by occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

The Malheur refuge is one of 560 in the United States set aside by the federal government to protect wildlife species and their habitats. The group, which included a couple of women and some boys and girls Monday, did not release a copy of its demands.

In an interview with reporters late Saturday night that was posted on Facebook, Bundy said he and others are occupying the building because “the people have been abused long enough”. He wouldn’t give his name because he said he feared being caught between the federal government and the militia. The issue traces back to the 1970s and the “Sagebrush Rebellion”, a move by Western states like Nevada to increase local control over federal land.

Law enforcement should just wait the protesters out, experts say.

Bundy’s group says it has dozens of armed men – more than 100 – and food to outlast a long siege.

Residents of the tiny town of Burns are concerned about the potential for violence.

“I believe what they’re trying to do is bring two sides together”, Soper reasons.