Locals Claim Outsiders Harassing Them Since Before Oregon Standoff Began

Ammon Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, speaks to reporters during a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge after meeting with Harney County Sheriff David Ward Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016... Ammon Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, speaks to reporters during a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge after meeting with Harney County Sheriff David Ward Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. Ward and two other Oregon sheriffs met Thursday with Bundy, the leader of an armed group occupying a federal wildlife refuge and asked them to leave, after residents made it clear they wanted them to go home. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Members of the community near the militia-occupied Oregon wildlife refuge claim that outsiders have been stalking, intimidating and harassing them both before and during the standoff.

According to a report from the Oregonian, “More than a dozen local residents have reported to authorities that they were harassed in the weeks leading up to the occupation and in the days since.”

The families interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Oregonian out of fear that they could be further targeted by the militia group that has now been holed up at Malheur Wildlife Refuge for more than a week.

While members of the self-proclaimed Citizens for Constitutional Freedom told the Oregonian they were not involved, residents near Burns, Oregon reported to authorities that many of the vehicles tracking them had out of state license plates.

A local pastor–who had been outwardly opposed to the presence of the militiamen at Malheur– shared with the Oregonian that individuals had drove to his home, yelled something at him and later, slowly trolled by his office.

“I thought if these guys know where I live, that’s not going to be healthy for the safety of my family,” the pastor told the paper.

The wife of a police officer in the community set up cameras in her neighborhood and caught what she said was militiamen just sitting in a truck in her driveway for up to 40 minutes at a time.

She told the Oregonian “every gun in the house is loaded.”

Latest Livewire
78
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Start shooting them. Sounds like solid self-defense here. Armed folks running around threatening people?

  2. My first thought as well, though I saw it more as Freedumb!

  3. Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, in the sense they get to decide what constitutes freedom.

  4. Avatar for trnc trnc says:

    Gosh, you would almost think that the Bundy crew isn’t actually doing this thing for the people of the county like they claimed they were.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

72 more replies

Participants

Avatar for ajm Avatar for dr_coyote Avatar for sooner Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for jep07 Avatar for commiedearest Avatar for trnc Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for progress Avatar for cliffhendroval Avatar for chuck_voellinger Avatar for johnscotus Avatar for dickweed Avatar for jcblues Avatar for khaaannn Avatar for dnl Avatar for nelsonrobison Avatar for kols Avatar for pmaroneyb Avatar for edhedh Avatar for castor_troy Avatar for tesla Avatar for lynnthedem Avatar for nydiva

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: