SR: Acquittals don’t justify takeover

In his editorial for the SR today, Opinion Editor Gary Crooks comments:

The not-guilty verdict in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge case was a stunner. Did we not witness armed protesters staging a 41-day standoff and refusing to comply with law enforcement?

Yes we did.

The Portland jurors weren’t asked whether they approved of the occupiers’ message and tactics. They were asked whether the seven defendants were guilty of an ambiguous charge: conspiring to impede federal workers from doing their jobs. The weapons charge was contingent on a guilty verdict for conspiracy, so that went by the wayside, too.

One juror told an Oregonian reporter, “It was not lost on us that our verdict(s) might inspire future actions that are regrettable, but that sort of thinking was not permitted when considering the charges before us.” More here.