Armed Oregon Occupiers Unashamedly Steal, Destroy Federal Property

[phantom power]

It has now been two weeks since a group of armed men calling themselves a militia occupied federal land in Oregon, vowing not to leave. And as the days tick by, the group of lawbreakers are getting increasingly brazen about how far they’re willing to push their takeover of federal land as authorities stand by. In recent days, the occupiers have been increasingly bold about their destruction of federal property, paving new roads on federal land and taking down security cameras. They also tore down fences and have been looking through federal records, raising concerns about the potential that they’ve accessed sensitive data. One of them even stole a government vehicle, but was arrested when he drove it into town on Friday.

Local leaders are increasingly worried “there could be major damage at the refuge and elevated safety risks for employees and local residents if the militia continues to stand its ground, seemingly emboldened by the continuing lack of consequences,” notes the Guardian.

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The Burns Paiute Tribe, meanwhile, is calling for criminal charges against the occupiers, saying the self-described militia is damaging ancient burial grounds amid concern that it could be looting artifacts that are thousands of years old. “They’ve got their horse running around there,” Jarvis Kennedy, a member of the Tribal Council, said. “Who knows what they’re stomping on?”

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/01/17/armed_oregon_occupiers_steal_destroy_federal_property_on_malheur_national.html