Bundy Supporters Reportedly Harass Conservationists, BLM Workers over Nevada 'Range War'
Apparently Cliven Bundy鈥檚 supporters in his showdown with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over cattle grazing rights aren鈥檛 satisfied with having to end its roundup operation. Now some of them are bent on punishing the people they blame for the creating the situation.
Rob Mrowka of Las Vegas, who heads up the 鈥� the Tucson, Ariz.-based environmental organization whose lawsuits over the forced the BLM鈥檚 hand in rounding up Bundy鈥檚 cattle, which had been grazing for free on public lands that comprised the animal鈥檚 habitat 鈥� says he started getting calls about three days before the right-wing Bundy . And then it became a deluge.
鈥淚t kind of started out with a phone call from a guy in Mississippi who called, and myself and someone in the Tucson office picked up and talked to him,鈥� Mrowka said, adding that a third colleague did not pick up, and for him, he 鈥渓eft a disturbing voice message. That was just the start of it.鈥�
The message the man left on the voicemail was similar to what he told Mrowka and his colleague in person: 鈥淚 am holding you personally responsible for every one of Cliven Bundy鈥檚 cattle that is confiscated. For his son David, who鈥檚 in jail, and for anything that happens to them in the future. And since I am holding you responsible, I plan on making you pay. There鈥檚 no need for you to call me back. This is your notice. You鈥檝e been fighting a war against us for awhile, we鈥檙e gonna start fightin鈥� back.鈥�
鈥淪ince then, there鈥檚 been about a hundred emails, most of them very hateful and vulgar and intimidating 鈥� 鈥榊ou鈥檙e going to be held responsible,鈥� that sort of thing,鈥� Mrowka said. He鈥檚 spoken with various law enforcement authorities about it, including the FBI, but so far none of the messages have reached the level of a direct threat.
鈥淭he thing that鈥檚 been frustrating is that we鈥檙e the only ones speaking out about this, and it鈥檚 really not in our wheelhouse,鈥� he noted. 鈥淲e鈥檙e about speaking up for endangered species. We don鈥檛 know that much about sovereign citizens and their theories.鈥�
Mrowka said he has been forced to get up to speed what his harassers are talking about when they use obscure pseudo-legal language to make outlandish claims that the federal government has no authority over the lands where Bundy鈥檚 cattle graze 鈥� classic hallmarks of antigovernment ideology in action. He said that sharing information with his colleagues about has helped all of them get a better handle on the level of radicalism they鈥檙e up against.
Federal employees are also in the sights of the "Patriots" in the wake of the Bundy 鈥溾�� 鈥淚 can鈥檛 speak firsthand, but I have received some confidential information that federal employees are receiving harassment similar to what I have been receiving,鈥� Mrowka. 鈥淚n fact, one of the Twitter links that is attacking me also posted the pictures, names, addresses and maps of some of the BLM officers that have been involved. And I understand that the BLM offices are just being inundated. As are those of the Clark County Commission.鈥�
Hatewatch independently confirmed that BLM employees are enduring personal harassment.
