SALT LAKE CITY -- The occupation of Oregon’s Malhuer National Wildlife Refuge sparked another occupation in Salt Lake City Sunday, as activists in favor of government managing public lands made their voices heard at a duck pond at Sugar House Park.
Among those gathered at the park was a man calling himself “Slickrock Stranger” who sang a new take on the classic, “This Land is Your Land.”
“As I was walking, through the Grand Staircase, I was so grateful, for President Clinton," he sang to that tune, referencing the former president's action to designate the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
The singer said what's happening in Oregon is wrong, so he took it upon himself to occupy the duck pond at Sugar House Park. He called on people to join him and to bring American flags, while leaving their guns home.
"We wanted to stand up to what's going on," he said, referring to the Oregon standoff. "Public lands issues throughout the West are very important. This is not the way to go about it. This is an armed occupation. They honor democracy more when they go through the democratic process and honor those who gave their lives so we could maintain our democracy."
The Slickrock Stranger says he wants the protesters in Oregon to know they have not cornered the market on absurdity.
