Oregon Rally Marks Anniversary of Malheur Shooting Death
The widow of聽Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, an antigovernment activist who was killed in the closing days of the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge last year, promised a crowd of聽almost聽500 gathered in Oregon on the year anniversary of his death that she would soon be filing a lawsuit against the federal government.
鈥淭hey silenced one man's voice, but in doing so they created 13 more very loud voices,鈥� Jeanette Finicum聽said, referring to herself and the couple鈥檚 12 children.
Finicum, who lived in Arizona, became a chief spokesman early last year when he joined Ammon Bundy and others in the illegal occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore.聽He was shot and killed on Jan. 26, 2016, when FBI agents and state troopers attempted to stop vehicles carrying Finicum, Bundy and other antigovernment extremists聽as they traveled from the refuge in Harney County to meet with聽Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer, who had been聽an outspoken supporter of the group鈥檚 efforts.聽
Finicum, who said she intends to sue the FBI over her husband鈥檚 death, told the John Day crowd that her late husband鈥檚 views about the federal government and its management of federal lands have now spread.
The gathering at the local fairgrounds was billed as 鈥淔inicum Family Presents 鈥� The meeting with LaVoy Finicum that never happened in Oregon.鈥�
鈥淐aravans of trucks with American flags and 鈥楧on't Tread on Me鈥� banners rolled into town over several days鈥澛燽efore the gathering, the reported, describing the event as 鈥減art memorial, part reunion and part religious revival.鈥澛燘ut it also was a money-making event for the Finicum survivors, who have staged similar fundraisers, mostly in the West, in the past year.聽Admission tickets sold for $15 and $30, which included a paper plate full of spaghetti.
There also were tables of merchandise for sale, many bearing聽LaVoy Finicum's聽cattle brand. The image has聽become a symbol of defiance聽for many in the antigovernment movement.聽There also were black 鈥淟VF鈥� ball caps with the slogan聽鈥淚t Matters How You Stand,鈥� bumper stickers declaring 鈥淟iberty Rising鈥� and "In God We Trust," and聽T-shirts with聽鈥淒efend the Constitution鈥� and 鈥淥riginal Intent鈥� printed around a picture of an eagle, the Oregonian reported.聽
LaVoy Finicum's book, Only By Blood and Suffering,聽also was offered for sale.
Attendees came from Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Washington and California, the newspaper reported.聽Featured speakers included Bill Norton, from Gilbert, Ariz., who describes himself as an 鈥渁uthor on the fundamental, natural law principles of liberty and the U.S. Constitution,鈥� and far-right radio talk shows personalities KrisAnne Hall and Kate Dalley.
Those in attendance also included four of seven defendants聽acquitted last fall in U.S. District Court of charges related to the Malheur occupation:聽Jeff Banta, Shawna Cox, Kenneth Medenbach and Neil Wampler. They聽鈥渟lapped each other on the back and hugged each other" during the gathering,聽the Oregonian reported..
Cox also sold copies of her book, 鈥淟ast Rancher Standing,鈥� which purports to detail the story of Cliven Bundy, the patriarch of the Bundy family who awaits trial in Nevada on charges related to the armed confrontation with federal agents in聽Bunkerville, Nevada,聽in 2014.
Cox was a passenger in Finicum鈥檚 pickup truck last year when he refused to stop at a police roadblock before crashing into a snow bank on the way聽to John Day.聽He was fatally shot when he emerged from the truck and twice attempted to reach for a loaded 9 mm handgun he carried in his pocket.聽
