A protest in support of Oregon ranchers facing jail time for arson has escalated into an armed takeover of a federal wildlife building and an anti-government call-to-arms.
The protest and takeover is being led by Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a previous standoff with the government over grazing rights, and two of his brothers. The brothers are calling on anti-government militia members from all over the country to join the seizure of the headquarters building of the remote Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, some 300 miles southeast of Portland.
“We’re planning on staying here for years, absolutely,” Ammon Bundy told TheOregonian on Saturday. “This is not a decision we’ve made at the last minute.”
The occupation came after an estimated 300 marchers — militia and local citizens — paraded through Burns to protest the prosecution of two Harney County ranchers, Dwight Hammond Jr., 73, and Steven Hammond, 46, who are to report to prison Monday, according to The Oregonian.
The pair said they lit the fires in 2001 and 2006 to reduce the growth of invasive plants and protect their property from wildfires. They were convicted of the arsons three years ago and served time — the father three months, the son one year.
But a judge ruled their terms were too short under federal law and ordered them back to prison for about four years each. Dwight Hammond has said he and his son plan to peacefully report to prison Monday, as the judge ordered.
Through their lawyer, the Hammonds have distanced themselves from the Bundys, according to CBS News. “Neither Ammon Bundy nor anyone within his group/organization speak for the Hammond Family,” lawyer W. Alan Schroeder wrote to Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward, according to the network.
My first thought when I read this was, “Can you imagine what would have happened if the “militia” was led by Muslim-Americans?
Or if they were black?
According to reports, the vast majority of the “militia” is from out of state. Even though they claim there are there for the local citizens, the locals have told the media they don’t want them there.
In response to the actions taken by the “militia,” local schools have been ordered closed for the week out of concern for children’s safety.
I get the feeling that a lot of these guys were the same ones who said about the uprising in Ferguson: “If they had just obeyed the orders of local law enforcement…”
Some responses on Twitter – the first is from a reporter at the Oregonian:
I talked to Ryan Bundy on the phone again. He said they're willing to kill and be killed if necessary. #OregonUnderAttack— Ian Kullgren (@IanKullgren) January 3, 2016
We send national guards & military to #Ferguson for protesters & watch on every network but white militia take over a federal building, nah.— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) January 3, 2016
Let me get this straight. 150 armed white men are occupying a federal building & this somehow isn’t considered terrorism. #OregonUnderAttack
The anti-gay owners of the Oregon bakery, Sweet Cakes by Melissa, have finally paid the $136,927 fine levied against the business for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding.
Aaron and Melissa Klein, the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, refused to bake a cake for Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer, saying it would infringe on their religious beliefs.
In July, Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian ordered the Kleins pay $135,000 for emotional damages suffered by the couple.
“This case is not about a wedding cake or a marriage. It is about a business’s refusal to serve someone because of their sexual orientation. Under Oregon law, that is illegal,” the bureau’s final order states.
After several months of refusing to pay the damages, Aaron Klein delivered the check (with accrued interest) to the State of Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries offices in Portland on Monday.
While the far right-wing zealots tried to make the case about same-sex marriage, the business was actually fined for discriminating due to sexual orientation, which has been illegal in the state for years.
It’s also worth noting that a Christian crowd-funding campaign raised over $500K for the couple, so the issue actually became a money-making episode.
The state will hold onto the funds until the full appeals process is exhausted.
Focusing on some good news – according to reports, the student and Army veteran who witnesses say charged the shooter during the gunman’s rampage at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, is alert and awake at the hospital as he recovers.
Chris Mintz, 30, was shot seven times during the Thursday rampage, but he says his main concern is about the others who were injured.
Mintz left a short message on his Facebook page last night saying, “Hope the others injured and their families are doing well, goodnight for me.”
A GoFundMe page was set up to help Mintz with his medical bills and it’s soared past the original goal of $10,000 to over $612,000. Mintz will need extensive medical support as both legs were broken during his confrontation with the shooter.
Melissa and Aaron Klein, the former owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, stepped back into the spotlight this week when they sent what appeared to be “apology” packages to 10 LGBT groups comprised of a cake with the message “We Really Do Love You!” and a copy of the anti-gay movie Audacity.
You’ll recall the Kleins refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding and ended up being fined $135K for violating Oregon’s public accommodation laws. They eventually closed their bakery when the story became public and sales dried up.
However, the incident became a windfall for the couple as anti-gay supporters raised over $350K in donations for the couple via crowd funding.
Melissa Klein gave this statement to the Oregonian about the “apology” packages:
“Our purpose is to express our love for them as a Christian.
“We don’t hate them. We also included in the package the movie Audacity. I feel it is a well done movie that shows what being a Christian is about. My hope is that they will watch it and maybe just understand our heart. We want to show them that it’s not about not serving them it’s about not being able to partake in an event.”
The idea for the “apology” packages apparently came from San Diego Gay and Lesbian News reports televangelist Ray Comfort, who produced Audacity.
According to Comfort, “We are like doctors with a cure for cancer.”
San Diego’s Canvass for a Cause was one of ten LGBT organizations to receive a cake, but the group decided to place the package on auction via eBay.
“This is not an ’I am sorry cake,’” says Cavass director Cathy Carmack. “There is no apology included with the cake because the Kleins are not sorry. ”
Today, the Oregon State Senate passed HB 2307, a bill that will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy. The bill was overwhelmingly approved by the State House on March 17 and is now heading to the desk of Governor Kate Brown who is expected to sign it into law. When signed into law, Oregon will become the fourth jurisdiction—behind California, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia—to pass legislation protecting LGBT youth from the serious harms caused by these practices, which have been linked to substance abuse, serious depression, and even suicide.
HRC and NCLR have partnered with state equality groups across the nation to pass state legislation to end this dangerous practice, including laws passed in California, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. In August of 2013, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld California’s ban which was signed into law by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown in 2012. On Monday May 4, 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to upheld New Jersey’s ban which was signed into law by Republican Governor Chris Christie in August of 2013. NCLR attorneys have assisted in the defense of every state bill to date.
I wrote yesterday about the anti-gay Oregon bakers at Sweet Cakes by Melissa who are looking at a $135,000 fine for breaking public accommodation laws by not serving a lesbian couple.
The bakers took to GoFundMe to raise money from strangers to pay for their lawbreaking habits.
Within hours the campaign raised $110,000 but was halted by GoFundMe because raising money for breaking the law is against the Terms and Conditions of the website:
“After careful review by our team, we have found the “Support Sweet Cakes By Melissa” campaign to be in violation of our Terms and Conditions. The money raised thus far will still be made available for withdrawal. While a different campaign was recently permitted for a pizzeria in Indiana, no laws were violated and the campaign remained live. However, the subjects of the “Support Sweet Cakes By Melissa” campaign have been formally charged by local authorities and found to be in violation of Oregon state law concerning discriminatory acts. Accordingly, the campaign has been disabled.”
Judge Alan McCullough issued his proposed fines today. The amount is not final, however. The State Labor Commissioner will have final say on the fine amount.
The controversy began in January 2013 when Aaron Klein turned away Rachel Bowman-Cryer and her mother at a cake-tasting appointment they had set up with Melissa Klein. Melissa Klein was not at the shop that day.
In August 2013, the women complained to BOLI. The agency conducted an investigation and in January 2014 brought charges that the Kleins had unlawfully discriminated against the couple because of their sexual orientation.
In a statement Friday, BOLI said: “The facts of this case clearly demonstrate that the Kleins unlawfully discriminated against the Complainants. Under Oregon law, businesses cannot discriminate or refuse service based on sexual orientation, just as they cannot turn customers away because of race, sex, disability, age or religion. Our agency is committed to fair and thorough enforcement of Oregon civil rights laws, including the Equality Act of 2007.”
The Kleins have already set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to pay the fine. Over 12,000 was raise in less than three hours.
By a vote of 41-18, the Oregon House has approved legislation that would ban so-called “ex-gay” or “conversion” therapy that purports to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of young people.
The bill would make it illegal for social workers or licensed mental health professionals such as psychologists or psychiatrists to practice what’s called conversion therapy on children younger than 18.
Laws banning the therapy have passed in New Jersey, California and Washington, D.C. Advocates say bills have been introduced in about two dozen more states.
Rep. Rob Nosse, a Portland Democrat, said the therapy has been widely discredited. He said the therapy can often lead to depression or anxiety in youths.
Psychology experts have called the practice “harmful” and “dangerous.”
The bill now heads to the Democrat-controlled Senate.
Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown was sworn in as governor on Wednesday, making her the nation’s first openly bisexual governor.
Brown, who had been Oregon’s secretary of state, succeeds John Kitzhaber who resigned on Feb. 13 amid a growing influence-peddling scandal that involves him and his fiancée.
