Harney residents speak

Though some say the refuge occupiers brought attention to issues, most want them to end their confrontation

BURNS — In a raucous, standing-room-only town hall meeting packed with hundreds of Harney County residents, the overwhelming consensus was this:

Go home, occupiers.

“Pick up and go home and work out your problems elsewhere,” Sheriff David Ward said before a crowd of more than 500 at the Harney County Fairgrounds. “We’re gonna work out our solutions amongst ourselves.”

Ward, who has been calling for an armed anti-government militia to leave the area ever since they seized public buildings at a nearby wildlife refuge over the weekend, was met with a standing ovation.

“I hope they freeze their butts off out there!” said 77-year-old Marlene Watkins, who has lived in the rural outpost with her husband, Richard, for more than a half-century, before the meeting got underway.

But other county residents expressed mixed feelings, professing a perplexed ambivalence or grudging admiration of the outsiders.

“Whether you disagree with (Ammon) Bundy or not, he’s given us a chance to get our message out,” county resident and rancher Mike Morgan said.

Several attendees said they had gone down to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, 30 miles south of here, and met Bundy and his brother, fellow Nevada rancher Ryan Bundy, and found them friendly and approachable.

“I’ve been down there and talked to them,” rancher Levi Tyler said. “They’re not threatening anyone.”

Tyler asked Ward — who organized the town hall gathering — to hit the “pause button” so that the community can better understand the Bundys and their group’s message.

The sheriff’s response was this:

“I think our community’s in a good spot to tackle these issues that we all face. I think the government could do a better job listening to the people. I think these people probably did spark something (the government) can’t look away from.”

But Ward also told the crowd that he has seen things in this tiny rural community that he has never seen before.

Some of his deputies say they’ve been followed in their vehicles.

Some of their wives talk of being harassed by people who feel the sheriff’s department isn’t standing up to the occupiers.

And there’s this: “Someone slashed my wife’s tires,” Ward said.

Then he asked his parents to stand.

An older man and woman slowly rose. Ward’s father, 78, and his mother, 74, both suffer from heart trouble. Both have pacemakers.

“Those are true Americans right there,” Ward said.

“You don’t come here and intimidate people,” the sheriff said sternly, his brow furrowed. “You’re not invited to come here and bother with our citizens. It doesn’t matter that they’re my mom and dad — (they’re) anybody’s mom and dad.”

Some residents wanted to know why Ward has not gone out and met the Bundys and others in their group, face to face.

“I’m not in charge of the investigation out there,” Ward said, noting that the FBI is the lead agency involved in deciding how to deal with the militia group.

Ward’s message to the Bundys and their allies was delivered straight up:

“When I wake up tomorrow, I want to have pleasant thoughts about you, that you did the right thing,” he said. “That you packed your bags and went home.”

Once again, the crowd applauded wildly.

Some who disagreed with the majority sentiment dared to speak up.

“I don’t agree with what’s going on, and I don’t agree with what’s going on with our government,” Luke Smith said. “But these guys, I hate to say it, woke all of you guys up!”

Added Jesse Svejcar:

“I don’t agree with them, but they believe in what they’re doing and that’s their line in the sand,” he said. “If nothing else, they gave us a chance to come together.”

Jen Keady, a local business owner, said her children voiced their fears of the militia, so she drove them out to the refuge on Monday to show them there is nothing to worry about.

“I know I got some flak for going out there, but I don’t care,” Keady said. “I wanted my kids to know what’s going on.”

Keady said she has friends from across the state and nation who have called about the media-saturated standoff, somewhat incredulous.

“We have (put) Burns, Oregon, on the map,” Keady said.

Bill Winn was moved to tears when he spoke.

“I love Harney County,” he said, taking a moment to compose himself. “I don’t agree with the way this has all turned out, but on the other hand, I do appreciate this being put before America. I wish it had been done differently, but I’m glad they did it.”

But the main message from most who spoke was that the Bundys and their militia need to go, before someone gets hurt.

“I’ve seen it before and I’ve seen it now,” resident Steve Atkins said. “And we’re in trouble if we don’t tell these people to pack up and go home.”

Mark Baker has been a journalist for the past 25 years. He’s currently the sports editor at The Jackson Hole News & Guide in Jackson, Wyo.