Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2016)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 19, 2016 “ Rural communities are vulnerable to agendas driven by a national movement. We didn’t want to see that happen here more than it already has.” PATRIOT Continued from Page A1 Continued from Page A1 while simultaneously gaining inluence from the outside by using threats and intimidation and militia as community infra- structure. Not everyone in attendance agreed, however. Grant County resident and self-described patriot Dave Traylor wrote in a letter to the editor that the meeting “could have been informative except for the one-sided narrative on just what a patriot is.” He asserted patriots were cast in a negative light with an “ap- proach with caution” label at- tached. Following the meeting, Traylor stood and read dictio- nary deinitions of “patriot:” “A person who loves, supports and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion — a up on his own oficers’ well being as well as responders in other departments. He ensures they are doing well mentally and physically and aren’t affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. Gray has personal experi- ence with the dangers police work can involve. In May of 2003, Gray and another of- icer, Jason Rehling, were wounded in a shootout in Long Creek. Gray was shot in the back and neck, and Rehling was shot in the face. Both oficers recovered, and Gray received a purple heart and medal of valor. Though violence like this is hardly an everyday occurrence, it is something of which oficers must always be aware. “I don’t think the public really realizes what we go through,” Gray said. He emphasized work- ing with the community and building trust so people felt comfortable enough to report problems to the police. “The job is a hard job to do, so if we can use the public to help us do the job that’s great, that’s more eyes,” he said. He cited a recent example of a stolen truck that a citizen had seen and called in. Gray said the caller stayed on the line and guided police units to the stolen vehicle, allowing it to be returned to the owner. Sgt. Damon Rand has been with the JDPD for 15 years and grew up in the area, something he said has helped enormously with building trust within the community. In that time, he has seen a no- ticeable increase in drug relat- ed violence. “I haven’t seen anyone get shot that you couldn’t trace back to drugs, sex or money, and with drugs, you’re usu- ally talking about all three,” Rand said. He said combating the drug problem in the commu- nity is a dificult and expen- sive battle illed with long hours and astronomical over- time costs. Rand said prof- itability will always exist in the illegal drug market, which adds to the problem. “It’s kinda like a river: You can dam it up, but it will ind an alternate route,” he said. “You can slow it down, but I don’t think we’re ever going to get it stopped.” Burke sentenced to more than 3 years Blue Mountain Eagle David Wesly Burke was recently sentenced to more than three years in prison for charges related to a stolen pickup. Burke pleaded guilty Sept. 22 to unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of meth- amphetamine, irst-degree criminal mischief and driving under the inluence of intoxi- cants in Grant County Circuit Court. On Oct. 13, Judge Wil- liam D. Cramer Jr. sentenced Burke to 20 months in prison for the unauthorized use of a vehicle charge, 18 months in prison for the criminal mis- chief charge, 30 days in jail for the intoxicated driving charge and 10 days in jail for the possession of metham- phetamine charge. He was also sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation, and his license was suspended for three years. He was ordered to pay $2,988.75 to the victim and ined $1,755. Burke was stopped by po- lice Aug. 30 while driving a white GMC pickup that had been reported stolen from the 100 block of Second Avenue in John Day. OREGON CAPITAL INSIDER Get the inside scoop on state government and politics! Debbie Ausmus 245 South Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845 OPEN WED. & THUR. 9 am - 5 pm 541-575-1113 24 hrs/7 days wk debbie.ausmus@ countryfinancial.com Would like to thank all the businesses and individuals who donated and helped at the rally Roans Kings Ron Hasher Bar -B Ace Hardware Ed & Margy McCrary Lonnie’s Hair Care John Gay Golf Club Mel McDaniels J.D. Hardware Grubsteak Mining Co. Mitch Wilson Gardners Radio Shack Floor Store Maxine Day Lynda Farrell Melody Jackson Jeanette Hueckman Ronda Pade Huffman’s Select Market John Day Auto Parts Pioneer Feed Squeeze-Inn Deli 1188 Pub John Day Polaris Out Post Pub and Grill Burns Golf Club Jonna’s Hair Care Hair - It - Is Brad Campbell Raymond Hire Great Basin Art Kathleen Lee Gail Burton Kim Ward Clay Tanler Rose Tanler Dan Propeck Bob Burton Bruce Ward Dick Johnston Roy Densberger Vicky and Gerry Mullaney Sherrie Rininger 04723 She was pleased with the turnout and described the pre- sentation as balanced and non- inlammatory. The group’s goal had been to shine a light on the patriot movement in the area and let people draw their own conclusions, she said. “Rural communities are vul- nerable to agendas driven by a national movement,” Steele said. “We didn’t want to see that happen here more than it already has.” Steele said the questions had been screened to avoid causing a disruption during the ques- tion and answer session. “We didn’t want to see this turn into a political ight,” she said. “We wanted it to be nothing more than giving people the opportunity to see what’s happening and what has happened.” T FEST ES V Oct. 22 I 8AM - 1PM L VA Police Chief Richard Gray said the recommendations are all still applicable to John Day. Gray says the changes won’t drastically affect the day-to-day workings of the department, but the communi- ty may see social media activ- ity, such as a Facebook page, from the department. Gray said social media is a tool that could be used to better serve and protect the community. He also wants to improve the department’s transparen- cy, stating if someone had a problem with an oficer there is a good chance the interac- tion was recorded. If an issue with the way an oficer han- dled a situation arises, a com- plaint can be iled and it will be looked into, Gray said. One pillar Gray highlight- ed was safety and wellness. He said he regularly checks The Eagle/Rylan Boggs Jessica Campbell (right) presents information about the “patriot movement” in Oregon at the Canyon City City Hall on Friday, Sept. 7. Campbell has been traveling with a group called the Rural Organizing Project on a tour to inform communities about the movement in Oregon. Cayon City was the seventh stop on their 10-stop tour. person who regards himself or herself as a defender especial- ly of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government.” During a question-and-an- swer session that followed the presentation, Traylor said only a few questions were answered and many people’s queries, in- cluding his own, were simply ignored. Traylor said he wanted to pose the question, “How does one tell the difference between a good patriot and suspect ones that were mentioned?” He at- tributed the selective answering of questions to the Rural Orga- nizing Project’s inability to an- swer some questions. Grant County Positive Ac- tion member Kay Steele said she thought the meeting was a success. HA R POLICE Kay Steele, Grant County Positive Action member C elebrate the fall with our annual Harvest Festival, a fun filled end to our Farmers Market season. There will be fruits, vegetables and pumpkins galore. Baked goods, confections, treats and more. Sewn goods, jewelry, wooden items, etc. There will be games and crafts for the kids. Great music. Our main attraction, the cider press, will be working hard all morning. Just bring your apples. JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK PG-13 Jack Reacher must uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy in order to clear his name. FRI & SAT (12:45) (4:10) 7:10 9:45 SUNDAY (12:45) (4:10) 7:10 9:35 MON-THURS (12:45) (4:10) 7:10 9:35 OUIJA: ORGIN OF EVIL PG-13 A mother and her daughters add a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business and unwittingly invite authentic evil into their home. FRI & SAT (12:45) (4:20) 7:20 9:50 SUNDAY (12:45) (4:20) 7:20 9:35 MON-THURS (12:45) (4:10) 7:20 9:35 THE ACCOUNTANT R For more information Call Dale Rininger @ 831-596-0656 or visit us on Facebook @JohnDayFarmersMarket As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body county starts to rise. FRI & SAT (12:45) (4:00) 7:00 9:40 SUNDAY (12:45) (4:00) 7:00 9:35 MON-THURS (12:45) (4:10) 7:00 9:35 $9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth 04696 taking advantage of failing ru- ral Oregon economies where a loss of jobs has resulted in crumbling infrastructure and law enforcement. Campbell talked about the 2015 occu- pation in Josephine County, painting the picture of a com- munity suffering from a failing timber economy and drastic cuts to law enforcement. She described people attempting to get restraining orders and being told, by the judge, to get a gun. In April of 2015, Oathkeep- ers and members of the III% occupied the Sugar Pine Mine in Josephine County follow- ing demands by the Bureau of Land Management to provide a plan of operations for the mine. The incident ended the follow- ing month without bloodshed, and the miners were allowed to continue mining. Campbell said these patriot groups gain inluence from the inside by passing resolutions, running candidates and re- cruiting local law enforcement, A3 04726