Bunkerville Protest: Severe Injuries Only To The Accused

The Bunkerville Protest:
A One Way Street With Severe Injuries Only To The Accused

by Loren Edward Pearce

Recently, I spoke with Angie Bundy, wife of Ryan Bundy, about the people who were physically injured, abused and emotionally harassed by agents of the federal government.

The federal government has sought to suppress any evidence of the injuries and harm done to the accused defendants, while at the same time, present witnesses, testimony and evidence that showed harm done to the government agents who were simply “doing their jobs” in events related to Bunkerville.

SAVED FROM THE FRYING PAN, ONLY TO BE THROWN INTO THE FIRE

Margaret Houston, sister to Cliven Bundy, is shown in a video being grabbed by an agent of the federal government and thrown to the ground. Margaret is a grandmother and mother of several children.

The agent claims that he was trying to protect Margaret from being hit by the government truck. However, the video unequivocally, and without any doubt, shows that the agent used unnecessary and excessive force on Margaret. In football, the tackle of Margaret by the agent would be considered “roughing the passer”.

The agent could have saved a person he cared about in a way that assured that she was not saved from the frying pan only to be thrown into the fire.

Defense attorneys sought to have Margaret testify to show the excessive force used, and the judge, at the urging of her prosecutor team, denied the defense request, claiming that Margaret’s testimony and the video, were not relevant to the case.

TASERED THREE TIMES

Ammon Bundy, son of Cliven Bundy, was also seen on video as he challenged the government agents on the need to tear down and haul away ranch property, including water installations.

With no firearms or weapons on any of the protesters, well armed federal agents used attack dogs on the protesters. On the video, it can be seen that the attack dog attempted to bite Ammon, without any justified provocation. In self-defense, Ammon kicked the dog. At that point, the federal agent shot Ammon with a taser. Ammon grabbed the taser and tore it out of his chest. The agent tasered Ammon two more times although Ammon had not demonstrated any aggression, and with each attack, Ammon refused to go down and tore the taser hooks out of his body. It appears that the subsequent taser attacks were out of spite because the agent wanted to see Ammon go down.

In photos, Ammon shows the injuries from the tasers.

USING THEIR BOOTS, AGENTS GRIND HIS FACE INTO THE GRAVEL

Angie Bundy was eye witness to the attack on Dave Bundy.

Angie explains that Dave Bundy, along with other family members were instructed by Cliven Bundy to take cameras to a places where they might find federal agents stealing private property, including water installations.

Cliven gave clear instructions to do nothing to provoke the agents and to silently film the activities of the federal agents from a public place, according to their first amendment right to do so.

Not knowing for sure where the agents would emerge onto the highway from the ranch property, Dave Bundy chose an access road on the highway from Bunkerville to Riverside, Nevada. Dave parked his car legally on the shoulder, and as he speculated, the agents did eventually come onto the highway from the access road with trucks full of private property.

Upon seeing Dave filming them, agents are shown on film commanding Dave to cease filming and to leave the area. Without answering them and remaining silent, Dave stood his ground and continued filming.

Thanks to a dashcam video that was part of discovery and was leaked to the public, the agents can be heard threatening Dave.

At the same time, a white van with Ryan and Angie Bundy and their two daughters, can be seen stopping to check on Dave. The agents threaten Ryan that he will be arrested if tries to intervene and he is ordered to leave.

Angie said at the same time, the agents attacked Dave and brought him to the ground, grinding his face into the gravel on the dirt shoulder. Angie said that her daughters became hysterical as they witnessed their uncle being beat up by federal agents. For their welfare, Ryan chose to drive away following the attack on Dave.

Angie said that Dave never said a word. Contrary to later accusations by the government, Dave never cussed, swore at or threatened the agents. He remained silent throughout the attack.

It is important to note that the government’s “clear and convincing evidence of dangerousness” that was used under the unconstitutional Bail Reform Act to justify the over 600 days of pretrial, non-conviction imprisonment, is clearly rebutted and refuted by the actions of Dave and Ryan Bundy that day. The instinctual reaction of any decent person would be to intervene on behalf of a loved one who has done nothing wrong and who is being abused by other people, regardless of their uniform or their alleged authority. Ryan controlled those instincts and drove away, further testimony to his non-violent tendencies.

Angie went on to say that accusations by the government that Dave Bundy posted on social media that he would like to get even with the agent who ground his face in the gravel, is false. It was those false accusations that the government used to get him over 600 days of pretrial, non-conviction prison.

ILLEGAL AND UNNECESSARY FORCE IN MOAPA, NEVADA

Angie revealed that there was an incident in which some young men, the Kelly brothers, were found within the restricted boundaries that the government agents had set up. Angie explained that the government had set up a restricted area covering many thousands of acres. Local residents and uninformed visitors, like these young men, did not know where these boundaries were nor that there was a restricted area.

Upon being caught by agents, some of the young men were roughed up in the process of being arrested. From the video, one can say that the injuries to one of the young men, the bruises and abrasions on the face, are almost identical to what happened to Dave Bundy. Angie says that, of the injuries sustained to the several protesters, Dave’s and the young man in Moapa sustained the most serious injuries.

INTENTIONAL LIES PROPOGATED BY THE GOVERNMENT
CREATES EXTREME STRESS AND EMOTIONAL INJURY

Angie referred to an incident in which Ryan and other family members, including their daughters, drove up to Richfield, Utah where an auction was being held to sell the confiscated cattle. The plan was to exercise their right to peaceably assemble and to protest.

To assure that there was no problem, they called the sheriff and told him about their plans. He gave them clear instructions what they could do and not do to avoid run afoul of the law. They told him they would abide by his instructions.

At the auction, one of Ryan’s daughters had to use the restroom. Ryan took her to the auction office and without saying anything other than a greeting to office staff, the daughter used the restroom.

However, the government, in their attempt to justify the pretrial, pre-conviction imprisonment of Ryan, claimed that he threatened the auctioneer if he followed through with the sale of the cattle. Angie said that she may be compelled to have her daughter get on the witness stand to testify under oath that there were no threats made to anybody and that their intent was to peacefully protest the sale according to the instructions of the sheriff.

We have seen numerous other examples of lies used by the prosecution to assure that they win, at all costs, even at the expense of the truth. These intentional lies and deceptions create extreme distress and emotional suffering because:

1. It shatters our sense of security because the government is supposed to be our servant and protector.
2. The government, like a bully, creates extreme feelings of fear and terror due to their size, their power and their resources.
3. The government, due to their resources, controls the public narrative and can lie with impunity because the public trusts the government, leaving its victims in a state of hopelessness and helplessness.

EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL DISTRESS AND SUFFERING

Angie revealed that during the April, 2014 incidents, she was about 4 months pregnant. At that time, she began to show signs of a miscarriage. She went to see her doctor and after a thorough examination, the doctor said that the baby was healthy and that there was no physical explanation for her miscarriage. He said that the only explanation would be severe stress. He told Angie she would need to avoid severe stress.

Angie said that the stress of seeing Dave Bundy beat up, hearing agents threaten her husband Ryan, seeing snipers pointing guns at her vehicle with children inside and many other stressful factors generated by the government, she almost lost her baby who was born the following October.

Angie related how her family had a tradition to meet at the ranch house to watch LDS general conference. Ryan called his dad, Cliven, to ask if they could come and watch with the family. Cliven paused and was silent. Ryan was surprised and asked his dad what was wrong. Cliven, who was normally thrilled to have family visit, was subdued and told Ryan that there were snipers posted on the hills surrounding the ranch house and it could be dangerous for the children. He said that the house was under surveillance and that things were very stressful. Ryan was incredulous and said that he had to come and see for himself.

Angie said that Cliven was having blood pressure problems from all the stress caused by the government.

Angie said that they could see the snipers watching them while the children played nearby. During the abuse of Dave Bundy on the side of the road, she could see the snipers with guns trained on them and had Ryan gotten out of the vehicle, he would probably have been shot.

Ryan was later shot at the illegal roadblock and still has the bullet lodged in his shoulder. Angie said that the focus has been on whether LaVoy reached for a gun or not. But the government had zero excuse to shoot at the passengers, with or without lethal rounds.

ABUSE AGAINST LOCAL CITIZENS

The government has tried to make a case of fear and endangerment caused by the Bundys and the protesters that came to Bunkerville. But the facts deny the lies perpetrated by the government. The truth is that the protesters were peaceful, never used profanity nor threats against the government.

Additionally, Angie points out that the fear and stress imposed on neighbors and locals was palpable and abusive. Friends of theirs who, for years, walked their dog along the highway, the same highway where Dave Bundy was beat up, were also harassed by government agents for walking their dog on a public highway.

CONCLUSION

Voltaire said that it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. If people continue to hold to the idea that government is always right and that it usually occupies the moral high ground, then these kinds of one-way street abuses will continue.

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