Burns, Ore. – Harney County Sheriff David Ward met with protest leader Ammon Bundy well away from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Thursday afternoon.
A meeting of the occupiers is set for Friday at 9 a.m. The goal is not to end the protest but to bring it back to courthouse and city hall, where it started in the first place as a rally against the unjust sentences of ranchers Dwight and Steve Hammond, and away from Malheur.
The working theory at this point is that the occupiers have “made their point” and called an unprecedented amount of press attention to the federal management, or mismanagement, of lands in the West, and can safely move on . The constant stream of camera crews to and from the site is a testament to the group’s PR coup.
So if this new age militia decides to “stand down” today, it’s a safe bet this won’t be the last we hear of them.
