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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2018)
22 Wednesday, January 31, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Family of rancher killed in Oregon standoff sues ByKStevenKDubois Associated Press PORTLAND (AP) — The family of an Arizona rancher who was killed by police during the armed occupation of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon alleged in a U.S. lawsuit Friday that he was “deliberately executed by a preplanned government ambush.” The wrongful-death law- suit filed in Portland on the second anniversary of Robert “LaVoy” Finicum’s death seeks at least $5 million in damages for his widow and each of their 12 children. The United States is listed as a defendant, along with the FBI, Oregon State Police, Gov. Kate Brown and others. FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele said the agency does not com- ment on pending litigation. Representatives for the gov- ernor and state police did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Finicum served as a spokesman for the armed group led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy that occu- pied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016 to oppose federal control of land in the U.S. West and the imprisonment of two ranchers. I n v e s t i g a t o r s d e t e r- mined that state troopers were justified in shoot- ing Finicum three times in the back after he exited his vehicle at a police road- block, put his hands in the air and then reached toward a handgun in his inner jacket pocket. The investigation also found that an FBI agent at the scene failed to disclose that he fired two rounds that missed Finicum. The agent, W. Joseph Astarita, has pleaded not guilty to fed- eral charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice. He is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit. The complaint compares the shooting of Finicum to the high-profile shooting of a North Korean defector in November 2017. It notes that the North Korean man sur- vived and made it across the border to a friendlier govern- ment on the other side. “The story was captivat- ing, because in the American psyche, the idea of being shot in the back by your own gov- ernment for trying to cross a border is unthinkable,” the lawsuit said. It claims Finicum was shot “assassination style” while trying to cross from Harney County into Grant County for a meeting with a sheriff who was sympathetic to the ranchers’ cause. Dozens of people took over the remote refuge in southeastern Oregon from Jan. 2 to Feb. 11, 2016. They were allowed to come and go for several weeks as authori- ties tried to avoid blood- shed seen in past standoffs at Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho. But authorities moved in Jan. 26 when key standoff leaders left the refuge for a community meeting in neigh- boring Grant County, pulling over two vehicles and arrest- ing the occupiers inside. Finicum, 54, was driving one vehicle. Video taken by a passenger showed the occu- pants panicking after authori- ties stopped the truck. With his window rolled down, Finicum shouted at officers: “Shoot me, just shoot me! Put the bullet through me.” Finicum then sped off, coming to a roadblock and plowing into a snowbank. The complaint says more than a dozen current and for- mer Arizona officials wrote a letter to Oregon’s gover- nor, asking her to conduct a more transparent investi- gation into what happened next. “Defendant has refused,” according to the lawsuit. New Year, New Smile! Call now to schedule your complimentary consultation Smiles l b by Courtney, Elizabeth & Ashley! y 541-382-0410 410 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters CentralOregonBracePlace.com SUICIDE: Parents’ involvement is critical to awareness Continued from page 1 High School to follow later. The community event, scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, February 5, at Sisters High School is designed in part to expand the care and connect concept to the entire local population. In addition, presenters will share pertinent information that includes real statistics, warning signs, action steps, and resources. The school assemblies will take place the following day at a later date, still to be determined. Parents will be welcome to attend as well. Among the present- ers are Jason and Kristy Winebarger, whose 12-year- old son Jacob died by suicide here in Central Oregon in January 2016, when he was a seventh-grader at Skyview Middle School in Bend. In the time since their son’s death, the Winebargers have made themselves available to schools and other organiza- tions to support suicide pre- vention education. A d d i t i o n a l l y, s c h o o l counselors, health teachers, school nurses and other men- tal-health professionals will take part in the presentations. Oregon actually remains among the states in America with the highest suicide rates, and in the past two months at least two students have died by suicide in Central Oregon, bringing the reality close to home. “Our aim is to do all we can so that parents and stu- dents themselves can under- stand more about how to pre- vent suicide,” said Heather Johnson, a health teacher at Sisters High School. Johnson collects data from students each year through her class- room and with the Oregon Healthy Teens survey, and the statistics are sobering. One of the statistics from last year’s ninth- and elev- enth-graders at Sisters High School indicated that about a quarter (25 percent) of stu- dents had either experienced suicidal thoughts or actually made attempts at suicide. Knowing when students are struggling is a key part of prevention, which is one of the reasons Johnson is work- ing to expand a concept she calls “Care and Connect.” Students in Johnson’s classes are taught about the power of individual stu- dents taking action when they notice a friend or class- mate who exhibits warning signs, which can include withdrawal, talk of feel- ing depressed, change in behavior/manner, drug and alcohol use and difficult life experiences. One simple way of think- ing of warning signs includes the three “H”s, which stand for feeling helpless, hopeless and/or hapless. “ We u s e C a r e a n d Connect cards that students can fill out anonymously that allow them to communicate their concerns about students they are concerned about, including themselves. I then turn those over to a counselor or other professional sup- port staff to follow up on,” Johnson said. The Care and Connect cards help to overcome the “code of silence” that tends to be pervasive in our soci- ety, especially among teens, according to Johnson. “Kids tend to think they are protecting their friends by keeping secrets, or they think that if they speak up their friends will be angry with them,” said Johnson. “We are working to help stu- dents understand that truly caring means urging friends to get help or to tell a trusted adult who can offer proper support.” The Winebargers have wisdom to share with other parents, and students as well, that they truly hope will help families avoid the tragedy they have experienced. In an interview by KTVZ in September 2016, Jason Winebarger said, “What we’ve been through, we want to prevent anyone else from having to go through that. You don’t want to be a mem- ber of this club.” According to Johnson, the Care and Connect assemblies will allow attendees to learn more about local resources, but even more importantly, how each person, as a friend, neighbor, classmate or family member can make a pivotal difference in preventing sui- cide from happening. “The bottom line is that we have to look out for each other and be able to recog- nize when those around us need immediate care,” she said. Serving Sisters Since 1994 D ESIGNERS & B UILDERS of D ISTINCTION 541-549-1575 CCB#194489
