Wednesday night, community members said that while they appreciate national attention to the federal land rights debate that has long raged in the western part of the U.S., they prefer to speak for themselves and not to be represented by Bundy’s crusaders.

“I’m uneasy about Bundy and his outside help because I don’t know them and how they will act,” said Mitch Singer, a rancher who has spent most of his life in Harney County. “That being said, I appreciate much of their message and admire their sense of doing the right thing.”

According to Ward, since the wave of “people from outside the community” hit town, his staff and family have been the target of threats and vandalism. He said his deputies have been followed, his parents harassed and his wife’s car vandalized.

“Somebody flattened my wife’s tire recently,” Ward said. “She packed up and left town. Sometimes the stress is a bit much.”

As Ward spoke, a group of people ranging in age from 11 to mid-70s — many wearing cowboy hats and denim — lined up for a turn at the microphone. Once it was time for questions and comments, Ward turned the floor over to Harney County residents only.

Many raised their hands when Ward asked who wanted to resolve this dispute peacefully and send the armed protesters home.

Kate Marsh, a soft-spoken woman with short silver hair and a bright pink vest, said the exposure the occupation has given Harney County and its concerns does not outweigh the strain it has put on local people, from the schools being closed to community meetings cancelled and the law enforcement agencies from other counties that have spared officers to help keep Harney County safe.