Gary Hunt

The Harassment of the Hammonds Act II – Decade of the Nineties

This series is not about the two fires and subsequent conviction of Dwight and Steven Hammond. It is about the abuse, by government agencies, in the two decades prior to the first fire.

The Bundy Affair #10 Again?

My last article in "The Bundy Affair" was published on October 31, 2014. That article was "The Revenge of the BLM", when the Bureau of Land Management tried to promulgate new rules, in favor of critters and against the People of this country. Their effort failed, and, well, I thought that was the end of the story.

The Harassment of the Hammonds Act II – Decade of the Nineties

This series is not about the two fires and subsequent conviction of Dwight and Steven Hammond. It is about the abuse, by government agencies, in the two decades prior to the first fire.

The Harassment of the Hammonds Act II – Decade of the Nineties

This series is not about the two fires and subsequent conviction of Dwight and Steven Hammond. It is about the abuse, by government agencies, in the two decades prior to the first fire.

Act II - Decade of the Nineties

Scene 1 - February 18, 1994 - June 9, 1994 This series is not about the two fires and subsequent conviction of Dwight and Steven Hammond. It is about the abuse, by government agencies, in the two decades prior to the first fire.

Property?

On or about January 27, 2016, in the District of Oregon, defendants SEAN ANDERSON and JAKE RYAN, aided and abetted by each other, did willfully and by means of excavation and the use of heavy equipment on lands of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, property of the United States, injure and commit a depredation against such property, specifically, an archaeological site considered sacred to the Burns Paiute Tribe, resulting in damage in an amount exceeding $1000, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1361 and 2.

Burns Chronicles No 18 --1984

On or about January 15, 2016, in the District of Oregon, defendants JON RITZHEIMER and RYAN BUNDY, willfully and knowingly, did steal, purloin, and convert to their use and the use of another cameras and related equipment, the value of which exceeded $1000, which is property of the United States government, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.

Burns Chronicles No 17 "a speedy and public trial"

Is it for the government to interpret the Constitution, or is it for We, the People, to interpret that document, which, as is so clearly stated in the preamble, approved by us, through conventions of representatives in all thirteen then independent states under the Articles of Confederation?

Burns Chronicles No 16 Ambush Part 2 of 4

Officer #1 So, let's move on to Officer #1. Again, we have a transcribed interview {65-112}, conducted on January 31. Officer #1 was already at the roadblock. As they receive word, via radio, that LaVoy's truck had "run', they begin preparing for its arrival {85}.

Burns Chronicles No 16 Ambush Part 3 of 4

Officer #4 Next, we have the digitally recorded, then transcribed, interview of Officer #4 {143-185}. The interview was conducted on January 29, 2016.

Burns Chronicles No 16 Ambush

On February 18, 2016, the Tri-County Major Incident Team released a report prepared, primarily, by the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. The publically available version consists of 360 pages, though the page numbering indicates that the entire report consists of at least 714 pages. The officers involved are identified by assigned numbers, to protect their identity. There are heavy redactions of experience of officers and substantial portions of their interviews. References shown thus, {nn}, indicate PDF page numbers from the above linked document.

Burns Chronicles No 16 -- Ambush Part 1 of 4

On February 18, 2016, the Tri-County Major Incident Team released a report prepared, primarily, by the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. The publically available version consists of 360 pages, though the page numbering indicates that the entire report consists of at least 714 pages.

The Harassment of the Hammonds Act I – Decade of the Eighties

In a letter from Fish and Wildlife Services, dated May 22, 1988, on letterhead, though, apparently never sent {107-109}. It is a response to Dwight's plight, after his meeting with Shallenberger, and references that meeting. There is no indication of who edited the document. The strike outs (light and by pencil) in that draft that are quite telling:

Burns Chronicles No 15 - So, what is the Law?

It is appropriate to start off with some Constitutional wisdom from the Father of the Constitution, before we proceed.

Burns Chronicles No 14 – Which Came First, the Rooster or the Egg?

Sorry about the play on words, however, in looking for a title for this article, it seemed appropriate to choose the rooster instead of the chicken, as the rooster has a specific role in the relationship. The egg, however, is a birth, a creation of something new -- that will continue to grow, eventually replacing both the rooster and the chicken, in the scheme of things.

The Harassment of the Hammonds Act I

On May 6, 1987, David Johnson filed an internal memo {52-55} explain that he had received a call from Dwight Hammond, on April 27, and that Dwight said he was going to begin moving cattle the next morning, at 5:00 AM.. Johnson, because of 3 broken ribs, advised that he could monitor the trailing, but could not help. Dwight told him that if he was not going to help, he needn't come. When Johnson and another employee arrived at 10:00 AM, the move had been completed and the Hammonds were on their way back to their ranch.

Ambush - Part 2: "We Feared for Somebody's Life"

An overview of the events that led to the murder of LaVoy Finicum was presented in a previous article, "Ambush". However, as a result of a press conference given in Bend, Oregon, on March 8, 2016, we have more detail to fill in some gaps in that previous article. It is worthy of note that the detail is provided by Shawna Cox, one of the victims (Shawna Cox's video synchronized with aerial footage, complete). This article will address primarily the information given out at that press conference.

The Harassment of the Hammonds Act I – Decade of the Eighties

Dwight writes to De Bates, April 2, 1987 {33-37}, providing some background from a good working relationship to the current untenable encroachment on the historical rights, the failure on the part of MNWR to follow a previous agreement (1975), and the subsequent consequences of that failure. A Map from 1975 is also included. Pertinent parts:

The Harassment of the Hammonds: Part II

Note: Numbers shown thus, {nn} refer to PDF page numbers in the "Hammond Legal Trailing Part I" PDF file. On October 24, 1986, Dwight Hammond met with the Tom Downs, Dave Johnson, and the Assistant Refuge Manager, to discuss stray cattle and "trailing", the means of herding to move cattle from one location to another. Dwight discussed his practice during round up, and what he did with strays that were collected with his herd. {2-3} He didn't think that he should notify people when he trailed his cattle, based upon "past prior rights and/or privileges".

The Harassment of the Hammonds

Long before the fires (controlled burn in 2002 and a backfire to protect their own property in 2006) that resulted in Dwight and Steven Hammond being imprisoned for 5 years, the dispute over their rights had begun. Nearly four decades of harassment had been directed against them, until, finally, the government could make a very meager case, using a law enacted to cover terrorism, and applied to the Hammonds for doing what the government does, on a regular basis.