Harney County, Oregon schools are reopening today after an unknown number of militiamen calling themselves the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom took over a nearby wildlife refuge just dozens of miles away.
The reopening of schools signals some return to normalcy for a community that has been disrupted by an armed protest against the federal government. While the militiamen have claimed they are stationed at the wildlife refuge on behalf of Dwight and Steven Hammond–local ranchers who were convicted of lighting fire on federal lands– even the Hammonds are opposed to the the militiamen’s actions.
According to the Oregonian, school may be in session, but county office buildings and the school’s district office is still closed and schools in the area have bolstered their security.
The state paper is also reporting that federal offices in the community like the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management are also still keeping their doors shut for now.
