Lavoy Finicum’s Death:
Arizona Legislators Call For Civil Rights Investigation
By John Jacob Schmidt
In a letter to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt:
One Senator and six State Representatives are demanding an investigation and civil rights violation charges related to the Oregon State Police killing of Arizona citizen and rancher, Lavoy Finicum, in January of this year. OSP wasn’t the only agency called into question. The group of Arizona legislators are also demanding accountability of the FBI’s actions, including an apparent cover-up of critical components of the incident investigation:
Also on the list of recipients were the governors of Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon.
The letter calls into question the inconsistencies as it relates to civil rights lawsuits, where the state governments have files numerous civil rights complaints in the past, often supporting “known criminals” and many of those lawsuits target law enforcement officials, as well as state and local governments. Meanwhile, no civil rights complaints have been filed on behalf of Lavoy Finicum, where he was shot when there was no gun in his hand, nor was a gun even visually identified when the Oregon police shot him.
The letter goes on to cite numerous examples of occupations by anarchist-style groups which resulted in true large-scale damage to public and private property, assaults, rapes, and outright lawlessness. Just ONE such example cited in the letter, was “the politically motivated 4-month takeover of the Wisconsin State Capitol from February 14 – June 16, 2011.”
But in those cases, the government and law enforcement essentially allowed the events play themselves out and fizzle, allowing the carnage to continue. Those cases resulted in little to no enforcement action by law enforcement, and definitely no FBI paramilitary style takedowns.
The letter goes on to point out… [wildlife refuge occupiers] “were merely exercising their Constitutionally-guaranteed 1st Amendment rights of free speech, to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
“Over the past 7-years, the U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Justice Department have established a track record of repeatedly filing civil rights complaints, often in support of known criminals, typically against law enforcement officials and state and local governments.
However, in the case of unarmed Arizona rancher Mr. LaVoy Finicum, who was shot 3-times in the back by Oregon law enforcement officials at a traffic stop, and his associates who are currently being held, charged and facing inaccurate and exaggerated charges, the Federal Government has not demonstrated any interest in protecting the guaranteed Constitutional and civil rights of these Arizona and Nevada citizens.
“Whether you agree or disagree with their tactics of occupying public land within an Oregon wildlife refuge for 41-days, Finicum and his associates were merely exercising their Constitutionally guaranteed 1st Amendment rights of free speech, to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
“In order to keep this in context, none of the thousands of individuals involved in the politically motivated 4-month takeover of the Wisconsin State Capitol from February 14 – June 16, 2011, or the encampment and protests by the Occupy Wall Street movement that started on September 17, 2011 and lasted for many, many months, were treated in a similar manner. In both of these cases, that lasted dramatically longer than the Oregon wildlife refuge occupation of public land, considerable property damage occurred, and yet no individuals were shot, jailed or charged in a similar manner to those individuals within Oregon.
“Similar to the IRS targeting scandal, it has been suggested that the noticeable difference between the Wisconsin and Occupy Wall Street occupations and the Oregon occupation is that the former was typically comprised of labor union and liberal individuals who are politically aligned with President Obama, and the later was typically comprised of conservative individuals who are not. According to Thomas Jefferson, our 3rd U.S. President and author of the Declaration of Independence, “When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.” Simply by exercising their Constitutionally guaranteed 1st Amendment rights, the late Finicum and his jailed and charged associates continue to face what some are calling government tyranny.
“It is the duty of the Attorneys General of the States of Arizona, Nevada and any other states with standing, to file civil rights complaints with the U.S. Justice Department against the Oregon law enforcement officials and prosecutors, and against the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Arizona and Nevada must ensure that their citizens are treated in a fair, transparent and legal manner, and that Oregon law enforcement officials justly face at a minimum manslaughter charges, and that FBI agents justly face at a minimum attempted manslaughter and falsifying evidence charges.
“The below signed Arizona officials respectfully request both the Arizona and Nevada Attorneys General to file civil rights complaints against Oregon law enforcement officials, Oregon prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on behalf of the Arizona and Nevada citizens, including the family of deceased Finicum and those of his jailed and charged associates.”
Respectfully,
Representative Bob Thorpe LD-6
Co-signed by: Senator Don Shooter and Representatives Brenda Barton, Sonny Borrelli, Regina Cobb, Mark Finchem and Jay Lawrence
cc: Arizona Governor Doug Ducey,
Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval
Oregon Governor Kate Brown
John Jacob Schmidt is The Voice of the American Redoubt. You can find his commentary, and more, at Radio Free Redoubt.
Does anyone know if anything has come about on this?
Brian Sandoval is a puppet for Harry Reid, he will likely throw this in the circular file. It would be nice to know that someone would speak up for these decent guys. They have now been in jail for seven months, in my memory I can’t recall anyone, including rapists or murder suspects held that long without Bail. The Judges in these cases seem themselves to be corrupt and not impartial, which is chilling. My thoughts go back to Ferguson, and watching interviews of families who’s businesses were burned down, while the mob of rioters went nuts. Yet, nobody is in Prison for the damage and destruction. One lady said she saved all her life to open a business, she tearfully told the story, adding that she’d never be able to reopen her little store. And btw….for the black lives matter crowd, she is black. So now we demand answers, knowing full well that the government agenda is to gobble up all ranching and farming lands and have total control, just like China. An oppressed people is their desire. God Bless LaVoy Finicum and his family. I pray that his death was not in vain, and those responsible will be prosecuted and jailed in Solitary, just like the Bundys and Joe Robertson, and the Hammonds…and all the others that have been railroaded.
It gives me hope that there are still courageous, patriotic legislators out there, somewhere. They will now be subjected to minute scrutiny, intimidation, slander, and conspiracies designed to denigrate them perpetrated by the FBI and the Obummer administration. I pray for them, that God would miraculously punish those who would come against them. God bless those legislators! May many more join them from all 50 states!
Thank you, especially for comparing what happened to Mr. Finicum and his associates to what has NOT happened to the thousands of radical socialists in Wisconsin and Wall Street. It’s time for the STATES to exercise their Tenth Amendment AUTHORITIES and POWERS to reign in the DC cabals.