Pubdate: Sat, 08 Sep 2001
Source: South Bend Tribune (IN)
Copyright: 2001 South Bend Tribune
Contact:  http://www.southbendtribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/621
Author: Adam Jackson, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?200 (Rainbow Farm Shooting)

FOND MEMORIES OF RAINBOW

Supporters Recall Slain Pair, Their Ideals And Good Times

Scores of mourners grieve the deaths of Rainbow Farm Campground owner
Grover "Tom" Crosslin and his friend, Rolland Rohm.

Crosslin, 46, died Monday after he was shot by FBI agents stationed
around the campground. Rohm, 28, met a similar fate when a Michigan
state trooper shot him Tuesday. Authorities said both men were
brandishing guns at law-enforcement officials when they were killed.

But in the hearts and minds of those mourners, the two men and the
ideals they stood for live on, along with the fond memories they have
of the 34-acre campground which served, some say, as a gathering spot
for those promoting harmony, trust and friendship.

On the drive leading into the campground, which is located at 59896
Pemberton Road, family, friends and supporters of the two men and
their way of life gathered Friday to keep a vigil over the property.

Against a backdrop of burned buildings and an American flag flying
upside-down at half-staff, they recounted the good times they had at
the campground and their frustration at the way the recent five-day
standoff at the property ended.

"I only ever had a chance to come here to stay one time," the Rev.
Steven Thompson said. "And as soon as I drove in, I felt like I had
come home."

Thompson, who serves as the director for the Benzie County chapter of
the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws
(NORML), said he attended the "Whee 2000" festival in July 2000 not
only for pleasure, but also to help drum up support for the Michigan
Personal Responsibility Amendment, a movement to decriminalize the
personal use of marijuana and legalize the growing of industrial hemp
plants for use in cloth, paper and other manufactured products.

And he admitted that he and his friends had smoked marijuana while at
the festival. But he firmly denied allegations brought up by
law-enforcement authorities of the sale of drugs, use of hard drugs,
and sexual acts out in the open.

"I saw absolutely none of those things," Thompson recounted Friday.
"What I saw was people enjoying themselves in a safe and friendly
atmosphere."

Others who gathered at the campground Friday spoke of a place where
the words loneliness, helplessness and hunger were not part of
visitors' vocabulary. One man, who identified himself as Cass County
resident Buzz Daily, said Rainbow Farm regulars and visitors alike
were always willing to lend everything from a hand to a ham sandwich
to anyone in need at a festival.

"No one ever went hungry or got cold; everyone was always happy to
share with you," he said. "You could leave everything out at your
campsite when you were walking around, and no one would steal it.

"People could trust each other."

When minor problems did arise, campground officials were quick to
speak to the friends of the problematic person, said Daily, a Rainbow
Farm regular and festival volunteer worker. That alone was usually
enough to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.

"I never saw any brawls or drunken behavior," he said. "Everybody was
peaceful. They were just there to have fun."

And from what Maurice Williams saw, that's how it was at Rainbow Farm
from the campground's beginning in 1993 to last weekend's standoff.
Williams, a now-retired 40-year veteran of the Chicago Police
Department, was the person who sold the land to Crosslin in 1993, and
developed a friendship with him that lasted throughout the years of
the operation of the campground.

"Oh, I came up here to visit all the time," he said. "(Crosslin)
always made up a place for me to stay in the house.

"I was a VIP," he laughed.

Williams, who still lives in Chicago, said he leased the land to
sharecroppers for more than 40 years. He said he intended to retire
there, but decided to sell the land to Crosslin instead. But he still
loved the rolling fields and natural setting of the plot, and tried to
come back for weekends and festivals.

"There were plenty of people out there, but the only problem I ever
saw was the mosquitoes," said Williams, who drove out to the
campground to chat with supporters Friday. "We used to call them
'gallonippers,' because when they nipped you they'd take a gallon."

The mosquitoes are still there, and likely will be long into the
future. But the future of Rainbow Farm is not known. A civil
forfeiture proceeding initiated last spring against the property is
still ongoing, which means the land may still be seized from
Crosslin's family.

Some, like Thompson, believe that Rainbow Farm will live on through
increased awareness of what they say is the folly of enforcing laws
that prevent people from enjoying personal freedom on their private
property.

"They've martyred Tom and Rollie," Thompson said. "I hope this wakes
people up to what the government is doing."

Others, like mourner Jeff Schifler, say that no matter what the future
brings, the end of the old Rainbow Farm Campground will always leave a
hollow spot in supporters' souls.

"I tried to spend every summer there," he said. "Rainbow Farm was my
home."

Funeral services:

Visitation and funeral services will be held this morning for Grover
T. "Tom" Crosslin, who was killed Monday by police during a five-day
standoff at the Rainbow Farm Campground in Vandalia. Visitation will
be from 10 to 11 a.m. EST at the Walley-Mills-Zimmerman Funeral Home
and Crematory, 700 E. Jackson Blvd., Elkhart. Funeral services will
begin at the same location immediately following visitation.Visitation
services for Rolland Rohm, who was shot and killed by police in the
same standoff Tuesday, will be held at the same location from 3 to 8
p.m. EST on Monday, with funeral services, also at the same location,
scheduled for Tuesday beginning at 2 p.m. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake