Ammon Bundy, the leader of the occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and who was arrested on January 26, has called out to the rest of his followers to "go home and hug their loved ones" as five other supporters remain encamped in the site. Lawyer Mike Arnold has released the statement for Bundy and has announced that he set up a crowd-funding effort to finance the legal charges that Bundy and his fellow militants are facing. The fund aims to raise $100,000 but so far, only $1,100 has been raised.
According to Oregon Live, the crowd-funding campaign states "Ammon Bundy and his friends have been arrested. Please donate to Ammon's defense fund here or donate to another's legal defense." In Arnold's own words, he further stated on the campaign that everyone needs their own lawyer for their own protection, referring to the fact that only Bundy can afford his own lawyer as the rest of his militant friends have state-appointed lawyers. "Please feel free not to contribute to Ammon and instead contribute to another defendant. Your generosity is greatly appreciated,'' he further says.
Arnold was asked by a Kezi News anchor in a phone interview whether it's normal these days to solicit funds for a defense. His response was "Crowdfunding is kind of the new process for citizen activism and citizen protest." He said they are hoping they could raise an enough amount of money so they can post bail so that Bundy can go home and raise more money for his defense.
An opinion editorial from The Los Angeles Times reports that Bundy and his fellow protesters were arrested by the FBI and the Oregon State Police while they were in their way to a town meeting. Five of them were put into custody while one was fatally shot when he refused cooperation with authorities. Two others were arrested in a nearby town while one gave himself up.
The arrest method and the charges were cautious. The arrested individuals were charged with single count of conspiracy to impede a United States officer, with a maximum penalty of only six years.
