Oregon governor calls on federal authorities to end refuge occupation

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
(Image credit: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) said on Wednesday she's been mostly silent regarding the standoff at a wildlife refuge because the federal government asked state officials "limit" their public comments on the occupation.

During a brief speech discussing her 2016 policy agenda, Brown said she has complied to "avoid escalating the situation," adding she "would not want to say anything to compromise their efforts to resolve the situation." On Jan. 2, armed occupiers took over a federal building at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, saying they were protesting the prison sentence of a father and son convicted of committing arson on federal land. Brown said what is happening is "absolutely intolerable," and that "the very fabric of this community is being ripped apart."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.