Death of Bundy Associate Sparks Protest, Counter-Protest

On one hand there were shofar-blowing protesters who said that Ammon Bundy and dozens others arrested for their roles in taking over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge are “God’s People” and should not be in jail.

On the other side were vuvuzela-playing environmentalists upset that the armed takeover of the refuge had even taken place.

It was a not atypical Saturday afternoon in Portland.

The protests were part of a nationwide call to remember Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, who was killed when the FBI and Oregon State Police moved to arrest him, occupation leader Ammon Bundy and others.

While FBI-released video appears to show Finicum reaching for a gun, several supporters have maintained that was not the case and he should not have been shot, let alone killed

Fincium’s supporters, who gathered in some three-dozen cities around the country, believe the government has overstepped its authority in dealing with ranchers

Finicum was part of a group who had gathered in Burns, Oregon on January 2 to protest the Federal Government’s treatment of a father and son who leased federal land for their cattle.

The other side was upset with how Bundy, Finicum, and their associates, allegedly damaged public lands.

Ammon Bundy, the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy whose 2014 standoff with the Federal Government led to a sweeping indictment this past week, is one of 25 currently jailed in Portland as a result of the takeover of the refuge.

Finicum supporters had signs including “Fallen Patriots” and “I am Lavoy” while the other side’s included “Birds not Bundys” and “I love public lands.”

While Portland Police had cautioned that some of the protesters might be armed, there was little evidence of that having happened.

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