Patriots seize Oregon federal building, standoff enters third day

It is hoped standoff will end peacefully.

Between six to a dozen men have occupied a federal building in an effort to force the Federal government to hand parkland over to ranchers. Their grievances include federal overreach into their ranching livelihood. The armed group says it will remain at the remote building until its demands are met. Leading the tiny militia band is Ammon Bundy, the son of rancher Cliven Bundy, who won a standoff against federal officials in 2014.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - On January 2, several armed militia members took control of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge building in Harney Country, southeastern Oregon. The building was unoccupied at the time and is located in a remote area. There was no violence.

The takeover followed a peaceful demonstration against the sentences imposed against two area men, Dwight Hammond and his son, Steve Hammond. The Hammonds have had run-ins with federal agents since 1994 when a dispute began over when Dwight Hammond could move cattle through federal land on a cattle trail used since 1871. The trail intersected federal land, prompting government interference against a longstanding ranching practice.

The disputes continued with arguments over a fence, allegations of deer poaching, and the starting of two fires, one allegedly to cover evidence of poaching on federal land and the other to protect land from a fast-moving wildfire. Both Hammond men were arrested for arson and convicted in 2012. The minimum sentence for the crime is five years.

However, the judge in their case disagreed with the lengthy sentences and reduced them to three months for Dwight and one year for Steve. Both men served their time. Federal prosecutors however, appealed the sentences and a federal court has ruled both men must return to prison to serve their full five years. The men return on Monday to resume their sentences and both have said they would cooperate.

However, a protest against what feels like double jeopardy (legally, it isn't) morphed into an armed takeover of a federal building in that county. For their part, the Hammonds have repudiated any affiliation with the armed protesters and do not endorse their takeover. The peaceful protest took place in the nearby town of Burns, where they staged a protest march that lasted for 90 minutes. After the march, the protesters peacefully dispersed, except for a small cadre which traveled on to the National Forest.

The leader of the armed protesters, Ammond Bundy, believes he has plenty of cause to carry out his occupation. Ammon Bundy is the son of Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who won an armed standoff against federal agents in 2014. Cliven Bundy was supported by hundreds of armed militia members who came to halt government seizure of his cattle herd.

Ammond Bundy believes the federal government has seized land from ranchers in the area and continues to impair their ability to pursue their way of life, which is often traditional and can stretch back for over a century for some families.

Ammon Bundy is also joined by his brother, Ryan.

The armed militia is asking that the Hammonds be released and the Malheur National Forest be returned to cattle ranchers. Ammon referred to Malheur as "the tool to do all the tyranny that has been placed upon the Hammonds."

The armed militia claim to have 150 members at the site, but the media reports they have just between six and a dozen men present. There may be additional people there in support, but who are unarmed. So far, the Oregon State Police have been tasked with handling the situation.

There have been claims on social media, insisting the takeover is a terrorist attack or should be met with extreme force. This would be inappropriate. Although the militiamen have said they would be willing to "kill" in order to defend their takeover, it is unclear if this is merely rhetoric. Furthermore, the takeover of public spaces is not considered terrorism. Consider the Occupy movement or Black Lives Matter, which have both taken over control of public spaces.

For now park is closed whole police work to resolve the dispute peacefully. Ammond Bundy has called for reinforcements, but with law enforcement setting up to control access to the site on Monday, such help is now unlikely.

Experts believe the standoff will end peacefully.