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Armed protesters occupy federal land
01:46 - Source: CNN

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Armed protesters are occupying a federal building in Oregon

The occupation is the latest in a line of well-known occupations and standoffs

Arguably the most infamous incident is the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas

CNN  — 

When armed protesters took over a federal building in Oregon over the weekend, they stepped into a storied history of occupations and standoffs in the United States.

Although their exact demands are not clear, demonstrators have vowed to stay for as long as it takes to get what they want.

“We have no intentions of using force upon anyone, (but) if force is used against us, we would defend ourselves,” said protest spokesman Ammon Bundy.

“This is about taking the correct stand without harming anybody to restore the land and resources to the people so people across the country can begin thriving again.”

Here’s a look at some other standoffs and occupations through history:

Wounded Knee (1973)

Oscar Bear Runner stands guard as members of the American Indian Movement set up a tepee south of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, on March 3, 1973.
Oscar Bear Runner stands guard as members of the American Indian Movement set up a tepee south of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, on March 3, 1973.
Associated Press

The occupation of Wounded Knee started on February 27, 1973, and continued for 71 days.

The South Dakota town was seized by members of the American Indian Movement.

Wounded Knee was named for the Wounded Knee Massacre, which took place in 1890 and resulted in the deaths of some 300 men, women and children.

Gunfire was exchanged during the 1973 siege, and two American Indians were killed. A U.S. Marshal and an FBI agent were also injured.

MOVE (1985)

Flames shoot up skyward at the MOVE compound in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 1985.
Flames shoot up skyward at the MOVE compound in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 1985.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The MOVE standoff took place in Philadelphia and was substantially shorter than the occupation of Wounded Knee but more deadly.

Police arrived at the MOVE home to serve arrest warrants on several members of the radical group that was dedicated to black liberation.

Authorities say they were met with gunfire and a battle ensued.

Later that day, police dropped a bomb that started a fire, burning an entire city block.

Eleven people died in the ensuing chaos, including five children.

Ruby Ridge (1992)

Agents place the first of five neo-Nazis under arrest near Naples, Idaho, on August 25, 1992. Weapons were found in the group's car near a police barricade three miles from the site of a standoff with Randy Weaver.
Agents place the first of five neo-Nazis under arrest near Naples, Idaho, on August 25, 1992. Weapons were found in the group's car near a police barricade three miles from the site of a standoff with Randy Weaver.
Mason Marsh/AP

The violent confrontation at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, involved Randy Weaver, his family and a friend.

An FBI sniper wounded Weaver, a white supremacist, and killed his wife, Vicki, in a shootout at the couple’s mountain cabin.

A day earlier, Weaver’s armed 14-year-old son, Sam, was killed in a gun battle with a U.S. marshal, who also died. Family friend Kevin Harris was wounded.

In a settlement announced in 1995, the U.S. government awarded the surviving Weaver family members more than $3 million.

Each of the three remaining Weaver children received $1 million for the loss of their mother and brother. Randy Weaver received $100,000.

Waco (1993)

Flames engulf the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, on April 19, 1993.
Flames engulf the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, on April 19, 1993.
Susan Weems/AP

The word Waco has become almost synonymous with the 51-day standoff that happened there between armed members of the Branch Davidian church and federal authorities.

Six Davidians and four agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were killed in a February 28 raid, triggering the siege.

Negotiations took place and some adults and children left the religious compound, but others did not.

The final assault on April 19 resulted in a fire and the deaths of some 80 people, including children and cult leader David Koresh.

Montana Freeman (1996)

An unidentified man appears to point a rifle from the open door of Justus Township headquarters for the freemen group, some 30 miles outside Jordan, Montana, on March 27, 1996.
An unidentified man appears to point a rifle from the open door of Justus Township headquarters for the freemen group, some 30 miles outside Jordan, Montana, on March 27, 1996.
DOUGLAS C. PIZAC/Associated Press

The responses at Ruby Ridge and Waco were widely criticized for their deadly results.

Officials hoped to do better handling an armed anti-government group known as the Montana Freeman that held federal authorities at bay outside a farmhouse in Montana.

The group refused to pay taxes or be evicted from the property, which had been foreclosed.

The standoff ended peacefully when the so-called freemen surrendered.

Cliven Bundy (2014)

Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy is the father of Ammon Bundy, spokesman for the Oregon protesters.
Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy is the father of Ammon Bundy, spokesman for the Oregon protesters.

Cliven Bundy drew national attention after staging an armed confrontation with federal authorities.

An estimated 300 people, many toting weapons, joined Bundy when the federal government began to round up his cattle after he refused to vacate federally owned land and pay more than $1 million in fees.

The standoff was the culmination of a two-decades-long fight between Bundy and the Bureau of Land Management, which said Bundy illegally tended his cattle on taxpayer-owned land about 100 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

Bundy became a conservative symbol of government overreach as some high-profile politicians, including Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, flocked to his defense.

His mainstream support diminished, however, after he made racist remarks.

CNN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell contributed to this report.