what gives them the right to come and
simply take over a facility in an armed
confrontation making demands that
haven't been the demands of the local
people I prefer peace but if trouble
must come you let it come in my
time so that my children may know peace
amen
[Music]
on January 2nd an armed militia took
over a wildlife refuge outside of Burns
Oregon managed by the Federal Bureau of
Land Management or the BLM the militia
is led by Nevada native Amon Bundy and
it's refused to leave until the
government turns over the federal land
to the people of hany
County
Manning the Watchtower is Daryl Thorne a
Moonshiner who drove all the way from
Washington State to join the
occupation our job is to look
out you know keep an eye on everybody
make sure everybody's not wandering
around and being in places where they
shouldn't
be meanwhile in Burns the closest town
to The Refuge hany County Sheriff Dave
Ward has called a town meeting to
discuss how to address the armed
occupation just a few miles from their
quiet
community things that have been going on
in our community over the last 68 weeks
that's not hary County that's not who we
are I'm just going to go ahead and ask
you how many citizens of Hardy County do
we have in
here now I'm going to ask for the same
show a hands of how many people want to
work this out peacefully and would like
these folks to go home yeah
these people down here at the Refuge I
talk to them and they ain't hurting a
damn thing down there but but let but
let but they're made they're they
brought us all together they're waking
people
up I'm proud to be a Rancher and I'm not
going to let some other people be my
face I am
me this is my
it's been almost a week now since the
militia led by Amon Bundy have been
occupying The malow Wildlife Refuge
headquarters and whilst the people of
hany County are happy that the issues
faced by ranches have been raised by the
occupation they're getting pretty tired
of it carrying on for so long and the
disruption that the occupation has
caused so we're going to head up to the
Refuge and see really if this militia
are here for the long
haul this is the entrance to the
Wildlife Refuge there aren't that many
militia guys that we can see but there
are a hell of a lot of media we've heard
from some of the people in the town how
they've spoken about how they're upset
that some of the militia guys here are
from outside uh the county the state and
one of those guys is is John Rimer who's
got a bit of a controversial history
with Patriot groups and we're hoping to
speak to him and see why he's come down
here Rimer is best known for a series of
anti-islamic videos and protests across
the
country I'm up here because I'm a marine
I swore an oath to protect and defend
the Constitution and I I'm upholding
that oath and serving my country now
yesterday there was a big meeting at the
town hall with lots of people most
people there were very happy that you
know issues faced by ranchers in the
area have been raised by what's going on
here but seemingly most people wanted
this to end as soon as possible if not
now what do you think those people I'm
one of those I I want to I want this to
end peacefully uh quickly and I want to
be able to return home to my family but
unfortunately this will end when it
needs to end
basically on our way into the Refuge we
came across a local boy who came to
interview Amon Bundy's brother Ryan for
his school paper something we've been
trying to do for
days go ahead ask your questions and
I'll answer are you moving here forever
nope no just temporarily yep we're just
here to help establish some rights and
help you guys out we our family wants to
help your family and and that's allate
okay thank you do you think you're
making an impact on locally Statewide
and Nationwide I think that pretty much
everybody's listening right now and I'll
tell you what we can't do it for you you
know you guys are going to have to
decide that you want your freedom how
old are you I'm 11 yeah okay you want my
name my name is Ryan Bundy okay thank
you we're a few hundred yards from the
buildings occupied by the militia and
behind me is the malow wildlife refuge
and the militia say that they're unhappy
that areas of land like this across the
country are fenced off to range
for environmental reasons what they want
is areas of land like this to be open up
back to the ranches so they can graze
their cattle but areas like this I mean
it's almost the definition of the middle
of nowhere there's hardly anyone here
there are certainly no feds in sight and
it doesn't look like a standoff
[Music]
whatsoever the bundies have been staying
in this building since the occupation
started it's guarded by an our militia
member 24 hours a day we spent hours
requesting an interview with leader Amon
Bundy a look inside the building
anything then late in the day one of his
bodyguards came out and told us to hurry
to our cars and be ready for a big
development we're following a convoy
made up of militia members led by Amon
Bundy the leader of the militias at The
Refuge and they're on the way to meet
with the sheriff of Hani County this is
the first time Amon and the sheriff have
met and they're going to be discussing
the situation at The Refuge we've been
driving a good 15 20 minutes now away
from The Refuge it's kind of a bit
dramatic meeting the sheriff on the edge
of town they met on the side of the road
each with armed protection beside them
and in nearby
cars doesn't matter I just want to come
out and offer you guys the the
opportunity to help you get out and get
home and resolve this thing
peacefully that's uh I'm willing to get
you an escort all the way out of the
state now we're here for the you know
people people of hary County were here
because the people have were ignored
they're bringing up
legitimate concerns and yet Sheriff you
would not uh address those concerns I'm
here because the citizens of hary County
have asked me to come out and ask you
folks to peacefully leave we pose no
threat to the community whatsoever at
all it's time to get the schools open
let your community get back to living we
do not pose a threat and that's what I'm
asking for but but that can be done
without us leaving it only takes one
unstable person to show up and we know
that that's that's what I'm getting at
I'm not calling you on that happen in
any community in any area um that could
happen if even if we left I'm here to
offer safe escort out uh go back kick it
around with your folks and and I'll give
you a call tomorrow and ask you what
you're deciding I do thanks for coming
out youing it
what are you thinking about thank
you will you consider the the conv a
safe escort out of the state I'm not
afraid to go out of the state I don't
need an escort thank
you outside the Refuge members of the
militia including John ritzheimer have
kept arm watch every
night this is the time for selflessness
for our
country
Thomas Payne said I prefer peace but if
trouble must come you let it come in my
time so that my children may know peace
Amen in the morning Aman Bundy and his
supporters h a regular press conference
to provide updates 6 days in it's
starting to look like this cycle will
continue for a long time
in answer to the sheriff in our our
conversations yesterday we met and he
said gracefully that he would give us
free passage out of the county and free
passage out of the state if we would
leave and I can only say that this this
to him we will take that
offer but not yet thank you thank you so
much today after the press conference we
managed to grab Alan Bundy for a short
interview the sheriff himself has
offered you safe passage and and you
know basically people are happy you've
raised issues but they say it's time for
you to leave what do you say to that
well I just barely met with three
ranchers that asked me not to and uh and
that seems to be at least flowing
through these doors has been the message
I mean there's we know that there are
those that believe that that or that
want us to leave we understand that I
mean uh but for those that are coming
through our door and expressing their
concerns they're wanting us to stay long
enough to get them on their feet it
could be weeks it could be
months um I don't see it being more than
a year though and what are those things
that that need to get right well the
people need to be in control of their
own land and not be uh have a uh people
clear 3,000 Mi away dictating how their
own land Works uh government doesn't own
rights rights are owned by the people
why couldn't have this been an unarmed
occupation cuz they probably would just
came in and uh stopped it from happening
before it ever even started I me that's
why we have our Second Amendment of
Rights it it says the Second Amendment
says um a well-regulated militia
necessary for the uh for the uh for a
free state the right to bear arms shall
not be infringed that's that's what it
says and so those two things go together
they say hey the people have a right to
defend themselves sure but does the
Constitution give you the right to
occupy a federal building it actually
does in the sense because the federal
government did not have the right to be
here right and that's and that is very
clear in the Constitution a lot of
people are calling you guys domestic
terrorists and if you look at the
definition of the word terrorism men
with guns taking over buildings
threatening harm if if they are you know
forced into action what do you say to
that well I would say
go read the Declaration of Independence
go read the that that's probably the the
best definition and uh see if what we're
doing is uh is Terrorism or whatever
they want to call or if it's uh our
right to do it how many militia guys are
with you here OCC I've been I've been
asked that a lot and I won't answer
because of you know security operations
and how did the actual occupation take
place was there anyone here at the time
no we just walked down in here the doors
were open and that's what happened it
was that easy all
right so this particular property was uh
homesteaded Ammon Bundy claims he's
ready to die for local ranches but there
are many who don't want his help like
Tom Sharp whose Ranch outside of burns
runs 125
cattle they don't know our community
they don't know how our community Works
through issues so what gives them the
right to come and simply take over a
facility in an armed confrontation as
they have done making demands that
haven't been the demands of the local
people the militia guys have said that
they want to turn over the Refuge back
to the people of Harney County do you
think that's something that's even
possible Harney county is roughly the
size of the state of Massachusetts and
73% of our total land area acreage is
managed by the federal government so the
federal government has built for the
last 100 years an infrastructure of
management offices and services that
they provide all the way from
suppressing wadland fire in the summer
months to a system for handling grazing
permits if the federal government were
to turn that back to the local state or
the local County how would we support
that how would we pay for that how could
we possibly manage that much
responsibility in the way that the
federal systems have been built over the
last 100 years to
do the militia have been occupying the
malow wildlife refuge for a week now but
still haven't been able to issue a clear
framework for their demands without that
framework it's going to be pretty hard
for them to hand over the Refuge to
local ranchers although the people of
Han County appreciate the issues have
been raised with the occupation the
majority of them want the militia to
leave however with Amon Bundy refusing
the very generous offer from the sheriff
to be escorted out of the state safely
it's hard to see when that will
[Music]
happen