Pubdate: Tue, 02 Sep 2003
Source: South Bend Tribune (IN)
Copyright: 2003 South Bend Tribune
Contact:  http://www.southbendtribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/621
Author: Adam Jackson, Tribune Staff Writer
Cited: Rainbow Farm http://www.rainbowfarmcamp.com
Michigan NORML http://www.minorml.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?200 (Rainbow Farm)

FRIENDS REMEMBER RAINBOW FARM

Two Years Later, Supporters Rally, Look for Meaning in Deaths of Men.

Cassopolis -- There's something to be said for having friends.

They're there to provide support when it's needed. They don't point fingers 
and judge. And, as a group of friends of the late Grover "Tom" Crosslin and 
Rolland "Rollie" Rohm proved Monday, they'll stand on the sidewalk in a 
driving rain to make sure people don't forget.

More than 20 supporters of the former owners of the Rainbow Farm Campground 
braved the soggy afternoon to stand outside the Cass County Courthouse, 
hoisting placards and waving tie-dyed flags in observance of the second 
anniversary of a lethal standoff at the Vandalia campground that left both 
Rohm, 28, and Crosslin, 46, dead of police-inflicted gunshot wounds.

To people like Melody Karr of Mesick, Mich., the two died defending 
something they believed in. And that, she said, is reason enough to make 
sure their sacrifice is not forgotten.

"We need to do this every year," she said, holding a yellow sign that 
proclaimed Rohm and Crosslin "casualties" of a war on drugs. "Tom and 
Rollie were good people -- not the animals the police made them out to be."

As outspoken activists for legalizing the currently illegal use of 
marijuana, Crosslin and Rohm were known for the pro-legalization festivals 
they held at the 37-acre campground, which was owned by Crosslin. They 
attracted thousands of visitors, and often featured bands, speakers and 
other attractions.

But the festivals also attracted the attention of law enforcement 
officials, who alleged that there was rampant drug use and sales at the 
events. Using undercover surveillance and other techniques, police were 
eventually able to gather enough evidence to file criminal drug charges 
against both men

The situation eventually escalated to the point that the campground was 
threatened with possible seizure, and both men were facing possible prison 
time. And that, many believe, is what drove them to barricade themselves in 
the campground on Labor Day weekend 2001, then begin to systematically burn 
buildings on the property.

After a helicopter from WNDU-TV of South Bend took rifle fire while flying 
over the campground, FBI officials and Michigan State Police units blocked 
off the property and began maintaining a 24-hour surveillance.

After four days of a tense standoff, Crosslin was killed Sept. 3, 2001, by 
an FBI sharpshooter, after reportedly pointing a rifle at him while walking 
to a neighboring home for food.

Rohm was killed the next day, after setting the farmhouse he shared with 
Crosslin on fire and heading into an open area behind the home. Michigan 
State Police troopers in an armored vehicle moved in to arrest him, but he 
was shot when he reportedly raised a rifle and aimed it at the vehicle.

Since that time, friends of both men, regular Rainbow Farm visitors and 
even those who just believed in the legal reform they were fighting for, 
have held rallies, vigils and remembrances in support of two men they say 
died needlessly.

But not in vain.

"The (legalization) movement is growing stronger," Larry Lippert, Michigan 
director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, 
said. "We're growing, and I believe that you will see some things really 
start to happen in 2004.

"I believe (Crosslin and Rohm) helped to make that happen."

In Cassopolis on Monday, passing cars, their occupants warm and dry, honked 
and waved or flashed the peace sign at the soaked supporters on the corner. 
The high ratio of cheers to jeers brought smiles to the faces of those in 
attendance, as they remembered Crosslin, Rohm and the fun times spent at 
what, by most accounts, was a special campground. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake