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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 2018)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2018 Pardoned ranchers arrive home in Oregon Freed from prison by Trump By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM — Father and son ranchers, who were the focus of a battle about public lands and were freed from prison after receiving a presidential pardon, were welcomed home Wednesday in Oregon by rel- atives and horseback riders carrying American flags. A lawyer for the family of Steven and Dwight Hammond said they remain focused on their attempt to restore graz- ing rights on federal Bureau of Land Management acreage. Friction between the fam- ily and federal officials, and Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian Rancher Dwight Hammond Jr., center, is embraced after arriving by private jet at the Burns Municipal Airport on Wednesday. the sentencing of two mem- bers to five-year prison terms under an anti-terrorism stat- ute, triggered the takeover of a nearby federal wildlife ref- uge by right-wing militants in 2016 that grabbed world headlines. “We’re exploring poten- tial civil suits on behalf of the family to make sure they have their rights over land restored to them, that they’re protected from more harass- ment and overzealousness of government agencies,” attor- ney Morgan Philpot told The Associated Press. The family also wants a dialogue between ranchers, politicians, federal agencies and bureaucrats, he said. A news conference that had been set with family members outside the high-desert town of Burns was canceled when their convoy was delayed by a roadblock set up to allow a wide-load vehicle to pass. “The family has already gone through enough. They were tired and wanted to go home and spend time with family,” Philpot said. “Per- haps it was sheer coincidence that the oversized load was coming through the same road we were using.” The local BLM office did not immediately return a phone call or email seeking comment. Earlier in the day, Ste- ven Hammond and his father Dwight stepped from a private jet and into the arms of family members at a municipal air- port outside of Burns. A day earlier they were pardoned by President Donald Trump and released from a federal prison near Los Angeles. “We’re going to do a lot of decompressing and get back to our families,” Steven Ham- mond said. Just 25 miles away is Mal- heur National Wildlife Ref- uge, which was taken over in 2016 by armed protest- ers angered by the sentences given to the Hammonds. The standoff lasted 41 days, ending after occupa- tion leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy were arrested and LaVoy Finicum was killed by police. The occupiers, who believe federal control of pub- lic lands violates the Constitu- tion, insisted the Hammonds were victimized by federal overreach. Steven Hammond thanked Trump and many people on Wednesday for writing to him and his father while they were in prison. “We received thousands of letters. There’s a time you get to that point where a let- ter means a lot,” Steven Ham- mond said, his voice choking up in video posted on Twitter by The Oregonian. Protesters arrested Benefield seeks re-election in Cannon Beach as ICE occupation riles in Portland By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian By ERICKA CRUZ GUEVARRA Oregon Public Broadcasting Federal officers arrested eight protesters Wednes- day at the Occupy ICE PDX camp in southwest Portland. A spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Home- land Security says protesters were arrested for obstruction and failing to comply, among other charges. Federal agents threw pep- per balls and pepper spray at protesters who were block- ing a vehicle attempting to leave the facility. Video footage of the arrests shows protesters being pushed to the ground while agents deployed the balls and spray. Robert Sperling, a spokes- person with the Department of Homeland Security, said protesters received multi- ple warnings to move away from the driveway of the ICE facility. “Demonstrators contin- ued to obstruct the driveway contrary to the prearranged agreement made between their organizers, the Federal Protective Service, and oth- ers,” Sperling said. Sperling said an agree- ment was made after the department worked to reopen the temporarily-shuttered ICE facility in late June. Accord- ing to Sperling, protesters agreed not to obstruct govern- ment activity in exchange for a more “relaxed atmosphere” and police presence. In an emailed statement, Occupy- ICEPDX said no such agree- ment was ever made. CANNON BEACH — Mike Benefield intends to run again for his seat on the Can- non Beach City Council. His decision to seek re-election, Benefield said, is driven by a desire to address “unfinished business” left from his first term. “I think we’re starting to get more focus on the key issues like affordable hous- ing — which we haven’t done nearly enough about — and emergency preparedness,” he said. Benefield served four years on the Planning Commis- sion before being appointed to the council in 2013. He was elected in 2014, largely on a platform to push for more affordable housing. If re-elected, Benefield said developing more long- term housing would remain a priority. “We have no place to rent unless you’re a tourist,” he said. “We either need to quit talking about it or get it done.” Mike Another Benefield priority for Benefield is to steer lodging tax dollars away from supporting tour- ism promotion and more toward improving tourism-re- lated facilities. He advocates investing more in public art, more events and concerts or using the money to develop an event center at the old Cannon Beach Elementary School site. “I want transient room tax dollars to focus less on promo- tion, but more on bettering the experience once we get them here,” he said. Benefield would also want to work with the council to clarify the purpose and vision of the Tourism and Arts Fund. In an unusual move, Benefield was one of three on the council to vote against giving a grant to a trail project recommended by the Tourism and Arts Com- mission, arguing it did not fit program’s guidelines. “This coming year I think we need to give better guide- lines to the commission,” he said. Overall, Benefield said he is running because of his pas- sion to preserve the beauty and uniqueness of Cannon Beach. “I want to make this a fan- tastic place to visit, but also a fantastic place to live,” he said. There are three coun- cil positions on the bal- lot in November, including Mayor Sam Steidel’s seat. Real estate agent and long- time resident Robin Risley plans to vie for City Coun- cilor George Vetter’s seat. Vet- ter has announced he will not seek re-election. Clatsop Post 12 Pork Chop Dinner With Scalloped Potatoes, Veggies and Salad Friday, July 13 th 4 pm until gone $ 8. 00 6PM “Karaoke Dave” WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION Clatsop Post 12 1132 Exchange Street 325-5771 GHADAR MEMORIAL FOUNDATION OF ASTORIA invites you to celebrate the lives and mission of the martyrs of The Ghadar Party Saturday, July 14 th , 2018 • 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM Maritime Park (Ghadar Memorial Park), Astoria, Oregon BRING YOUR FAMILIES FOR A FUN FULL DAY EVENT! Sikh Martial Arts (Gatka) • Cultural Dances (bhangra/giddha) Kids Play Area • of course, lots of food, too! OUR HONORABLE GUESTS FOR THE EVENT INCLUDE: Ellen Rosenblum Attorney General, State of Oregon Betsy Johnson Oregon State Senator, District 16 Johanna “Jo” Ogden Portland Historian Willis Van Dusen former Astoria Mayor Mayors of Astoria & other surrounding areas A special thank you to all OR & WA Gurdwaras for their support! Ghadar, a radical Indian independence party founded in Astoria 1913, is a movement with a message for today. Come celebrate its legacy July 14th! • We invite all those who are curious about Astoria’s deep tie with Indian independence. Ghadar was formed by East Indian immigrants who instead of bowing in fear, forged alliances with many in Astoria and beyond, and among the diverse East Indian community that lived and worked in Oregon and the West. Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, workers, students and intellectuals joined together to de- mand their rights as global citizens, risking everything to do so. Mr. Bahadur Singh Chairman of the Ghadar Memorial Foundation Opening ceremony with Gurbani Kirtan (hymn singing) & Gatka (martial arts). Eugene Bhangra Group from Eugene, OR & Maharja Bhangra Group from Camas, WA will be entertaining our guests with Bhangra and Giddha (folk dances) performances. Inquiries/RSVP’s, please contact: Bahadur Singh 503-559-8233 or bahadurji@yahoo.com
