Most media outlets have pulled their teams out from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. As OPB's John Sepulvado reports, media left the occupied area after militants began to act erratic in the early morning.
The FBI gave media a warning that federal authorities would begin to take action without consideration of bystanders. However, that was just an addendum to an already surreal experience near the compound.
Militants – many of them well known by now to the press – took turns saying goodbye to loved ones, or promising revenge for the shooting of LaVoyFinicum, a militant leader. Others asked the media not to leave.
"Well, it’s sad that the media is really, the only protection right now," said an unidentified woman. "That’s a sad thing."
Yet, with the behavior getting more extreme – the press – for the first time since Jan. 2 – abandoned the compound en masse to ensure safety – leaving the occupiers alone to face what may come – on their own.