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Local Rally Held For Rancher Killed In Oregon

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- People across the country planned to gather at rallies Saturday to express their concerns about the shooting of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum in Oregon earlier this year.

Finicum was involved with a group of individuals who took over an Oregon refuge Jan. 2. He was travelling with a group of occupation leaders on Jan. 26 when the group's two vehicles were stopped by FBI agents and Oregon state troopers. Five of the individuals were arrested, but Finicum was shot and killed when he, according to the FBI, reached for a gun in his jacket.

Locally, a small group of protesters gathered in the Strip District to call for justice.

Lance Baird, who called himself a "concerned patriot," said they were gathering because they wanted to uncover the truth behind why Finicum died, and "to also educate people and let them know that we need to stand up to the country together to start... not fighting the government, because we don't want to do that, but we want to have the government work with us. And I mean, this is our government, they work for us, and that's the way it should be."

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"Eventually, our country's going to change unless we as a people stand together and demand a change and demand information on what's going on behind closed doors," Baird said.

The protesters stood on a corner in front of a fence, which they decorated with signs that read, "Patriots are not terrorists," "Tell the feds to release and pardon our law-abiding political prisoners today!!!" and "Its your Constitution! Know What's in it, know your rights, before they are taken away."

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