A meeting where armed protesters occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge planned to announce their exit strategy has been called off for want of a venue.

"Our county judge has blocked our path," said Travis Williams, a Drewsey rancher on the Harney County Committee of Safety. "We're working on that right now. We will be having one soon, but we do not know when or where."

The meeting was planned Friday night at the Harney County fairgrounds, but officials denied their request to use the spot.

Steven Grasty, judge of the Harney County Court, which functions as the county commission, said earlier this week that county won't let any group affiliated with the occupiers use its property. Occupation leader Ammon Bundy had been expected discuss his plans to eventually leave town at the session.

Members of the safety committee said the county has no right to deny use of the building because its leaders disagree with the group. They're considering legal action, saying the denial infringes on their rights under the First Amendment.

A statement published on the committee's website states that it could file an action against Harney County for those violations. The statement goes on to say that the county can't block use of public facilities "as long as we follow the normal process."

A First Amendment expert said the government has to meet a high standard to prevent a group from using public facilities.

"Government certainly can't exclude the group simply because it disagrees with their beliefs," said Gene Policinski, chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute in Washington, D.C., and senior vice president of the First Amendment Center. "They may be permitted to exclude the group if there's a threat of imminent danger of lawlessness."

The fact that Bundy and the other protesters are illegally occupying federal property would likely bolster to the county government's argument, he said.

Grasty issued a statement Friday saying Bundy didn't follow the proper procedure to use the fairgrounds,. He also noted that the county "has publicly stated it would not allow the facility to be used by those who are committing criminal activities."

The First Amendment doesn't guarantee access to a place simply because it's owned by a goverment, Grasty said.

"Given the recent activities at the Malheur refuge by the Bundys and the armed presence throughout the community by various groups, it is Harney County's intent to provide the delicate balance in recognizing the public's free speech be protected while at the same time protecting the public and the public facilities," Grasty said.

Meanwhile, occupiers at the refuge said they were hopeful a meeting could be arranged for Monday evening. Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, an Arizona rancher who is participating in the occupation, told reporters Friday that Bundy is preparing a PowerPoint presentation.

The safety committee, formed shortly before Bundy and his followers started their occupation at the refuge, drafted a letter to Bundy asking him to leave, but thanking him for bringing attention to the fight for local control of federal lands in the county.

Though community members have resoundingly signaled at earlier public meetings that they're ready for the occupiers to leave, the protesters have announced no firm plans.

The cancellation of the Friday night meeting prolongs the uncertainty surrounding the future of the occupation, which will soon enter its third week.

At the refuge, the occupiers continue to settle in.

They have busied themselves in recent days by clearing a short road for cars near a building they're using as a kitchen, pantry and bunkhouse. Members of the group briefly left the occupied refuge headquarters on Friday to remove devices they said were government-installed surveillance cameras from power poles.

Also Friday, one group drove government-owned vehicles to the Burns Safeway. One man was arrested outside the store, the first arrest since the occupation began, and the two vehicles impounded.

The protesters have repeatedly demanded that Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond - local ranchers who were sentenced twice for arson for burning federal land - be freed. They also have demanded that the federal government hand over the wildlife refuge land to local ranchers and loggers.

-- Elliot Njus and Fedor Zarkhin

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus

503-294-7674

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