Why an armed group occupied US land in Oregon

“These men came to Harney County claiming to be part of militia groups supporting local ranchers”, Harney County Sheriff David M. Ward said in a statement, viewed by the Post, Sunday.

The armed OR militia, who are occupying the headquarters of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, took over the site on Saturday. No one has been hurt. Authorities need to be careful to ensure that the Bundys don’t become martyrs who would inspire others to oppose what they claim is an oppressive federal government.

Rick Bowmer | AP photo Ammon Bundy, center, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, walks off after speaking with reporters during a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters Monday, near Burns, Ore. It followed a march in Burns, a small city about 50 miles (80 km) north of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, in protest over the imminent jailing of ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond.

Bundy, 40, is the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who drew national attention in 2014 after staging a standoff with federal authorities.

The Hammonds were found guilty in 2012 of setting a string of fires, including a 2001 blaze that federal prosecutors said was meant to cover up evidence of deer poaching, that wound up burning 139 acres (56 hectares) of public lands.

The Hammonds were convicted of arson after lighting what they said was a controlled fire on their ranch in Harney County that spread to government land.

But a judge ruled their terms were too short under federal law and ordered them back to prison for about four years each.

Addressing the armed protesters at the federal building directly, Ward said: “You said you were here to help the citizens of Harney County”.

The threat of violence fits them more appropriately with a militia than a nonviolent protester group. The FBI declined to give details on plans by federal officials.

According to The Oregonian, the two are seeking clemency from President Barack Obama.

The refuge, which encompasses 292 square miles (75,630 hectares), was established in 1908 by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt as a breeding ground for greater sandhill cranes and other native birds. The wildlife refuge sits in a wide snow-covered valley rimmed by distant mountains.

The pair were freed after the father had served three months in prison and his son had served a year, according to local media. He said it wants to overthrow the local and federal government to start a movement across the U.S.

“We will be here as a unified body of people that understand the principles of the Constitution”, he said. “The people have it right now”.

Republican candidates had been loath to weigh in on the standoff over the weekend.

Cruz says he hopes the confrontation will not turn violent.

As the standoff with law enforcement authorities entered its third day, the group’s leader Ammon Bundy was active on Twitter. The group, which included a couple of women and some boys and girls Monday, did not release a copy of its demands.

“This refuge – it has been destructive to the people of the county and to the people of the area”, Ammon Bundy says in an interview with CNN Sunday.

The occupation, which began on Saturday, was the latest skirmish over federal land management in the American West and reflected an anti-government stance held by some Americans. Supporters of that idea want to open more land available for cattle grazing, mining and timber harvesting.

“I would tell any federal agent that the people are enforcing their rights and expressing their rights to restore their land and resources back to the people”. It was unclear exactly how many people were taking part in the protests, but Bundy says they are planning to stay indefinitely.

Amelia Templeton, a reporter for Oregon Public Broadcasting who has been to the refuge, said local residents are still trying to figure out what’s going on – and form an opinion on who’s in the right.