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| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
| Dwight and Steve Hammond were convicted of arson in 2012 for setting fires on public land adjacent to their property near ] in 2001 and 2006.<ref name=or1>{{cite news|last1=Zaitz|first1=Les|title=Militiamen, ranchers in showdown for soul of Burns|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/12/militiamen_ranchers_in_showdow.html#incart_story_package|accessdate=3 January 2015|work=]|date=30 December 2015}}</ref> According to the Hammonds, they set fire to the land to stop invasive plants from growing onto their grazing fields.<ref name=koin/> |
Dwight and Steve Hammond were convicted of arson in 2012 for setting fires on public land adjacent to their property near ] in 2001 and 2006.<ref name=or1>{{cite news|last1=Zaitz|first1=Les|title=Militiamen, ranchers in showdown for soul of Burns|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/12/militiamen_ranchers_in_showdow.html#incart_story_package|accessdate=3 January 2015|work=]|date=30 December 2015}}</ref> According to the Hammonds, they set fire to the land to stop invasive plants from growing onto their grazing fields.<ref name=koin/> Federal prosecutors requested a five year sentence for each of the Hammonds as provided for under the ].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Zaitz|first1=Les|title=Oregon ranchers' fight with feds sparks militias' interest|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/12/ranchers_fight_with_feds_spark.html|accessdate=3 January 2016|work=]|date=31 December 2015}}</ref> However, judge ] determined sentences of that length "would shock the conscience" and violated ], ordering the Hammonds to serve sharply reduced terms of one year.<ref name="cap">{{cite news|last1=Perkowski|first1=Mateusz|title=Judge sends Oregon ranchers back to prison|url=http://www.capitalpress.com/Oregon/20151007/judge-sends-oregon-ranchers-back-to-prison|accessdate=7 October 2015|work=Capital Press|date=3 January 2016}}</ref> Federal prosecutors successfully appealed the decision to release the Hammonds prior to the expiry of the original five year sentences and, in an October 2015 resentencing, the pair were ordered returned to prison.<ref name="cap"/> A petition requesting leniency for the Hammonds circulated the same month by the ] gathered more than 2,000 signatures and the pair's attorney said he hoped it would convince ] ] to offer clemency.<ref name="cap"/> | ||
| The Hammonds received offers of assistance in dealing with their situation from controversial ] rancher ], however, rejected the proposition. <ref name=or1/> A letter from Hammond attorney W. Alan Schroeder to Harney County ] David Ward declared that "neither Ammon Bundy nor anyone within his group/organization speak for the Hammond family."<ref name="times" /> | The Hammonds received offers of assistance in dealing with their situation from controversial ] rancher ], however, rejected the proposition. <ref name=or1/> A letter from Hammond attorney W. Alan Schroeder to Harney County ] David Ward declared that "neither Ammon Bundy nor anyone within his group/organization speak for the Hammond family."<ref name="times" /> | ||
Revision as of 10:15, 3 January 2016
| Malheur incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 3, 2016 to Present |
| Location | Harney County, Oregon, United States |
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page, but please note that updates without valid and reliable references will be removed. (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Malheur incident is an ongoing event in central Oregon connected with the Bundy standoff. On January 2, 2016, members of several rump militias took control of unoccupied buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in protest of the pending imprisonment of Harney County, Oregon ranchers Dwight and Steve Hammond.
Background
Dwight and Steve Hammond were convicted of arson in 2012 for setting fires on public land adjacent to their property near Burns, Oregon in 2001 and 2006. According to the Hammonds, they set fire to the land to stop invasive plants from growing onto their grazing fields. Federal prosecutors requested a five year sentence for each of the Hammonds as provided for under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. However, judge Michael Robert Hogan determined sentences of that length "would shock the conscience" and violated the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, ordering the Hammonds to serve sharply reduced terms of one year. Federal prosecutors successfully appealed the decision to release the Hammonds prior to the expiry of the original five year sentences and, in an October 2015 resentencing, the pair were ordered returned to prison. A petition requesting leniency for the Hammonds circulated the same month by the Oregon Farm Bureau gathered more than 2,000 signatures and the pair's attorney said he hoped it would convince President of the United States Barrack Obama to offer clemency.
The Hammonds received offers of assistance in dealing with their situation from controversial Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, however, rejected the proposition. A letter from Hammond attorney W. Alan Schroeder to Harney County sheriff David Ward declared that "neither Ammon Bundy nor anyone within his group/organization speak for the Hammond family."
Timeline
January 1, 2016: A privately-organized public forum held at the Harney County fairgrounds was attended by by about 60 local residents and members of militias. Brandy Mosher, a Burns-area resident who organized the event, described it as an opportunity to diffuse tensions that had been simmering between locals and out-of-town militia in the preceding days. According to press accounts, the event lasted about two hours and "shifted from sometimes profanity-laden declarations to agreements the Hammonds had been too harshly treated and that a peaceful rally might do some good."
January 2, 2016: A crowd of more than 100 persons gathered at 12:00 p.m. in the parking lot of a Safeway in Burns. Following 40 minutes of speeches, the crowd marched one mile to the home of Dwight and Steve Hammond, before returning to the same Safeway. According to KOIN-TV, there was "no visible police presence at any point." Later in the day, two sons of Cliven Bundy - Ammon Bundy and Ryan Bundy - along with members of militias, began occupying unstaffed buildings on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. In a video posted to his Facebook page, Ammon Bundy called on supporters to converge on the facility which he described as "the tool to do all the tyranny that has been placed upon the Hammonds."
References
- ^ Zaitz, Les (30 December 2015). "Militiamen, ranchers in showdown for soul of Burns". Oregonian. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ "Anti-gov't protesters march through Burns". KOIN-TV. 2 January 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- Zaitz, Les (31 December 2015). "Oregon ranchers' fight with feds sparks militias' interest". Oregonian. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- ^ Perkowski, Mateusz (3 January 2016). "Judge sends Oregon ranchers back to prison". Capital Press. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ Stack, Liam (2 January 2016). "Militiamen Occupy Oregon Wildlife Refuge in Protest of Ranchers' Prison Terms". New York Times. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- Zaitz, Les (2 January 2016). "Burns residents confront militia over fears of violence". Oregonian. Retrieved 3 January 2016.