Former occupiers claim images of refuge damage 'staged'

[struggle4progress]

4. Malheur occupation defenders question photos, damage estimates

By Scott Hammers / The Bulletin
Published Mar 30, 2016 at 12:03AM

A former Harney County fire official and a Redmond resident who participated in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday questioned the photos used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to illustrate the damage allegedly done to the facility during the occupation.

They held a press conference in Bend at the same time as similar events in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Fredonia, Arizona. An announcement of the press conferences provided to The Bulletin promised “photos, footage and facts, along with testimonies to show government neglect, corruption, collusion, and intentional FBI destruction of property.”

Former Burns Fire Chief Chris Briels and Redmond resident BJ Soper appeared in front of the Deschutes County Courthouse on Tuesday. They did not present any new photos of video footage of the wildlife reserve, but instead pointed to photos that had been previously shared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to illustrate damage caused during the occupation, and argued that many of them had in fact been taken during the occupation to show the poor condition facilities were in when occupiers arrived ...

http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/4170824-151/malheur-occupation-defenders-question-photos-damage-estimates