John Connor was Montana’s assistant attorney general at the time of Freeman standoff in 1996. He was involved in initial attempts to negotiate a plea bargain, and later prosecuted several of the men who eventually surrendered. MTPR's Katie Riordan asked Connor what lessons he thinks were learned from the Freemen case, and what it means for the standoff in Oregon.
The deadlock with armed, anti-government protesters in Oregon has now lasted nearly a week. Many are hoping it comes to a peaceful close, like the 1996 standoff with the Montana Freemen in Garfield County just outside Jordan.
That confrontation lasted 81 days, as the Freemen militia group threatened local officials and refused to cooperate with law enforcement.
Just like the protesters currently holed up at the federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, their beef was with the federal government.