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Rancher Ammon Bundy, who had led a weeks-long armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge near Burns, Ore., has released a statement Wednesday calling for the remaining militants to “stand down.” He was arrested Tuesday.
In his statement, Bundy praised Lavoy Finnicum, an occupier who was shot and killed during a confrontation with police on Tuesday. He called Finnicum “one of the greatest men and greatest patriots I have ever seen.”
The rest of the statement, issued through Bundy’s lawyer, read:
“We will have more to say later but right now I am asking the federal government to allow the people at the refuge to go home without being prosecuted.
“To those remaining at the refuge, I love you. Let us take this fight from here. Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. This fight is ours for now in the courts. Please go home.
“Being in the system, we are going to take this opportunity to answer the questions on Art. 1, Section 8, Cause 17 of the United States Constitution regarding rights of statehood and the limits on federal property ownership. Thank you and god bless America.”
Bundy and seven other militants face felony charges of interfering with federal employees’ official duties.
Bundy’s statement follows a Wednesday afternoon news conference in which local and federal law enforcement officials said they were still working to find a peaceful resolution to the occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
The officials also said the occupiers had been given “ample opportunities” to leave the refuge peacefully.
“Instead, they have chosen to threaten and intimidate the America they claim to love,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Greg Bretzing said during the news conference.
Rick Bowmer/AP
As we reported, five of the seven militants arrested in Oregon were apprehended at a traffic stop while en route to a community meeting. One member of the group was shot and killed during that operation. Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward said he was “disappointed” that the carefully planned traffic stop that was meant to bring a peaceful resolution to the weeks-long occupation “ended badly.”
Ward was emotional when he called for an end to the occupation, saying the stress from the situation hasn’t been confined to the refuge.
“This has been tearing our community apart,” Ward said. “It’s time for everyone in this illegal occupation to move on. It doesn’t have to be bloodshed in our community. If we have issues with the way things are going in our government, we have a responsibility as citizens to act on them in an appropriate manner. We don’t arm up and rebel. We work through the appropriate channels.”
Ward paused and shook his head before continuing:
“This can’t happen anymore. This can’t happen in America, and it can’t happen in Harney County.”
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