Target: FBI Director James Comey
Goal: Thank FBI director for organization’s role in ending the Oregon standoff.
A number of armed and angry ranchers started to occupy the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Burns, Oregon at the beginning of the year. They were demanding more rights for ranchers after a few ranchers were arrested for starting a fire on government land. They claimed modesty, but many speculated that they were looking to overthrow the entire federal government.
The occupation was started by Ammon Bundy, son of the now-infamous tax-evading rancher Cliven Bundy. It is unknown exactly how many people were in the armed militia, but Ammon Bundy was recently arrested along with four others, and another was killed in the police altercation. After Cliven Bundy was arrested trying to interfere, the remaining ranchers gave themselves up to the FBI.
ForceChange had originally demanded a government intervention, so we should thank the FBI director for the organization’s involvement. The FBI had an easy plan of simply waiting until the ranchers retreated and kept the situation safe. The occupation was extremely costly for the state of Oregon,and traumatic for the quiet Harney County. Let FBI Director James Comey know we are thankful for the end of the ridiculous standoff.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Director Comey,
We wanted to thank you and your organization for overseeing the end of the Bundy standoff in Oregon. It was a costly and ridiculed standoff, with a small group of people demanding unreasonable and outrageous requests. It was difficult to take Bundy and his supporters seriously, and we are glad to see it has come to an end.
The standoff has shown that people cannot arm themselves and attempt to take on the government whenever they disagree with laws. Although this is something that should not have to be proven, the FBI and local intervening forces did an appropriate job ending the standoff and bringing the protesters into custody.
Considering how armed the ranchers were, the violence was kept to a minimum (with the exception of LaVoy Finicum, who lost his life in an altercation). The situation could have gotten much more serious if it had turned violent, and law enforcement did an excellent job bringing it to a largely peaceful close. By simply waiting the ranchers out, law enforcement was able to quietly end the situation. Thank you for the successful and peaceful work.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
354 Signatures