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‘Leave us alone’ – people in Oregon town tired of standoff

A convoy of armored vehicles and SUVs rolls past a barricade on the road near the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. The remnants of an armed group occupying the refuge to protest federal land policies say they won't leave until they get assurances they won't be arrested.(AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios)
A convoy of armored vehicles and SUVs rolls past a barricade on the road near the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. The remnants of an armed group occupying the refuge to protest federal land policies say they won't leave until they get assurances they won't be arrested.(AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios) A convoy of armored vehicles and SUVs rolls past a barricade on the road near the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. The remnants of an armed group occupying the refuge to protest federal land policies say they won't leave until they get assurances they won't be arrested.(AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios)

By Associated Press 4 min read

BURNS, Ore. (AP) – People who live in Burns, the small high desert town near a wildlife refuge that has been occupied by an armed group for a month, say they are sick of the disruption to their lives.

“We just want to go back to the way we were,” Barbara Ormond, who owns a quilt store in downtown Burns, said Saturday. “We want everyone to leave us alone.”

Four people occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge held their position Saturday and posted live videos describing their situation and reiterating their demand that they be allowed to leave with being arrested. The jailed group’s leader, Ammon Bundy, and 10 others who were arrested earlier in the week remained in custody. Through his lawyer, Bundy on Saturday again called on the remaining occupiers to leave.

The FBI has said it’s trying to resolve the situation peacefully.

While the standoff that originated over federal land-use policies has led to filled-up hotels and restaurants as police, protesters and media have flocked to the area, locals say the conflict is upsetting and pitting neighbor against neighbor.