cannabisnews.com: Mixed Feelings on Rainbow Farm, Crosslin










  Mixed Feelings on Rainbow Farm, Crosslin

Posted by FoM on September 07, 2001 at 08:38:31 PT
By Lou Mumford 
Source: South Bend Tribune  

Until last weekend, there were people all across the country who had never heard of Vandalia. Certainly, its size doesn't make it stand out. Only a few hundred people live here. If it's known for anything, it's its rich history stemming from the period when slaves would take shelter in various hideouts in the village in the course of their pursuit of freedom.
Some might go so far as to connect the Underground Railroad with Grover T. "Tom'' Crosslin's campaign for individual freedom. Indeed, Crosslin, the owner of the Rainbow Farm Campground who died this week along with roommate Rolland Rohm, was the owner of a historic home that was once a stop on the slaves' route to freedom.Crosslin's death, and that of Rohm, no doubt was tragic. Authorities have said both pointed rifles at law enforcement officials before they were shot to death, ending a standoff at the campground that began a week ago.Did they die as heroes or villains? It depends on the point of view, and how people choose to remember them.For friends and family members, they two will perhaps be remembered for the outings and festivals they staged on the campgrounds. Yes, there apparently was illegal drug use at the festivals, as authorities have said, but Crosslin may have chosen to overlook it because of his strong belief that people should be allowed to do as they want, so long as they aren't hurting anyone else.Law enforcement officials, of course, have a different view. To them, Crosslin crossed the line when he took up a weapon, perhaps to protect his investment in a "marijuana grow'' operation he allegedly had hidden in the basement of his farm house. It didn't help, either, when he chose to continue campground festivals that were specifically prohibited as a condition of his $150,000 bond.The bond stemmed from his arrest on drug charges, which were filed after the marijuana plants allegedly were discovered in his basement.A sampling of the views of a few village residents on Thursday revealed they, too, fit into one of the two camps, siding either with law enforcement or those closest to Crosslin and Rohm.If there was a universal hope, it was that the events of the past week won't reflect poorly on the village."I don't think it will,'' said Raymon Neal, a mother of three. "The thing is that nobody had really complained about the Rainbow Farm. It wasn't a big deal. I mean, nobody was getting robbed or anything.''She said she had never met either Crosslin or Rohm, yet she felt sad about the way they died.Walter Lee, 27, seemed to concur."I don't think they should have killed them,'' he said. "There were multiple shots. To me, that shows they tried to kill them.''But anyone who may have gotten the impression Vandalia is a haven for drug users would be sadly mistaken, he said."There are a lot of people here who don't drink, don't smoke (marijuana), don't do any of that stuff,'' he said. "What people don't realize is that people from down south and everywhere else ... would go to that campground.''One man, spotted while he sat in a lawn chair and chatted with a friend in the friend's yard, said he really didn't care what took place at the campground. His friend, however, said authorities were correct to attempt to shut it down.An 81-year-old woman who said she lives at nearby Donnell Lake said she can't blame authorities if they fired on Crosslin and Rohm to protect themselves. The only surprise, she said, is that authorities didn't move in earlier."People that live around here knew it would be wiped out eventually,'' said the woman, who asked that she not be identified. "I guess it took a long while to get evidence on it to get rid of it.''As for the image people might have had of Vandalia during the standoff, she said she doesn't expect any lingering impact."In a couple of days, everyone will forget about it,'' she said.Note: Mum's the word.Source: South Bend Tribune (IN)Author: Lou MumfordPublished: September 07, 2001Copyright: 2001 South Bend TribuneContact: vop sbtinfo.comWebsite: http://www.southbendtribune.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Rainbow Farm Campgroundhttp://www.rainbowfarmcamp.com/ Tom Crosslin & Rolland Rohm Memorial http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/rb.htmRainbow Ruins Shown To Media http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10842.shtmlPair Saw One Escape: Death http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10832.shtml

Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help






 


Comment #6 posted by dddd on September 08, 2001 at 07:41:13 PT

master greengenes
.....that was remarkably scrumptous.....thank you.......dddd
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #5 posted by tdm on September 08, 2001 at 06:56:14 PT

mr. greengenes
That was perfect.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #4 posted by mr.greengenes on September 07, 2001 at 21:09:49 PT

Slight re-editing of story
Imagine this story being written 150 years ago as below.Until last weekend, there were people all across the country who had never heard of Vandalia. Certainly, its size doesn't make it stand out. Only a few hundred people live here. . Crosslin's death, and that of Rohm, no doubt was tragic. Authorities have said both pointed rifles at law enforcement officials before they were shot to death, ending a standoff at the campground that began a week ago. Did they die as heroes or villains? It depends on the point of view, and how people choose to remember them. For friends and family members, they two will perhaps be remembered for the outings and festivals they staged on the campgrounds. Yes, there apparently was ILLEGAL HIDING OF SLAVES at the festivals, as authorities have said, but Crosslin may have chosen to overlook it because of his strong belief that people should be allowed to do as they want, so long as they aren't hurting anyone else. Law enforcement officials, of course, have a different view. To them, Crosslin crossed the line when he took up a weapon, perhaps to protect his investment in a "SAVING NEGROS FROM SLAVERY" operation he allegedly had hidden in the basement of his farm house. It didn't help, either, when he chose to continue campground festivals that were specifically prohibited as a condition of his $150,000 bond. The bond stemmed from his arrest on SLAVE HIDING charges, which were filed after the SLAVES allegedly were discovered in his basement. A sampling of the views of a few village residents on Thursday revealed they, too, fit into one of the two camps, siding either with THE NEGRO HATING law enforcement or those closest to Crosslin and Rohm. If there was a universal hope, it was that the events of the past week won't reflect poorly on the village. "I don't think it will,'' said Raymon Neal, a mother of three. "The thing is that nobody had really complained about the Rainbow Farm. It wasn't a big deal. I mean, nobody was getting robbed or anything.'' She said she had never met either Crosslin or Rohm, yet she felt sad about the way they died. Walter Lee, 27, seemed to concur. "I don't think they should have killed them,'' he said. "There were multiple shots. To me, that shows they tried to kill them.'' But anyone who may have gotten the impression Vandalia is a haven for SLAVE HARBORERS would be sadly mistaken, he said. "There are a lot of people here who DON'T PROMOTE FREEDOM, DON'T HELP SLAVES ,don't do any of that stuff,'' he said. "What people don't realize is that people from down south and everywhere else ... would go to that campground AND BRING FREED SLAVES.'' One man, spotted while he sat in a lawn chair and chatted with a friend in the friend's yard, said he really didn't care what took place at the campground. His friend, however, said authorities were correct to attempt to shut it down. An 81-year-old woman who said she lives at nearby Donnell Lake said she can't blame authorities if they fired on Crosslin and Rohm to protect themselves. The only surprise, she said, is that authorities didn't move in earlier. "People that live around here knew it would be wiped out eventually, WHAT WITH ALL THEM SCARY NEGROS RUNNING AROUND'' said the woman, who asked that she not be identified. "I guess it took a long while to get evidence on it to get rid of it.'' As for the image people might have had of Vandalia during the standoff, she said she doesn't expect any lingering impact. "In a couple of days, everyone will forget about it, AFTER ALL, THEY'RE JUST A BUNCH OF FREEDOM AND NEGRO LOVERS'' she said.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #3 posted by johnnypotseed on September 07, 2001 at 20:46:14 PT

overgrow
 There is a lot of wild hemp in the rural area I live in. Usually, just for shits and giggles I pull up the males. This year I'm letting them pollinate so I can get a lot of seeds. Next spring I'm planning on distributing over a large spread out area in and around downtown. Let'em burn through their weed and seed budget pulling up all of these plants.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #2 posted by freedom fighter on September 07, 2001 at 20:29:18 PT

Does anybody knows how to
get to the white page of this town?? I want the addresses of every folk in that town.. This 81 yr old bitch is gonna grow some magic herb not knowing she is a criminal. As I know, there are only 400 folks in that town.. 400 times 5 miracle herb seeds equals 2000 seeds. Mail it to them proclaiming that they are lucky folks that should plant the seeds for luck and health this coming spring. I tried the yahoo but only got the yellow page, I want the white page!ff
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #1 posted by Peter on September 07, 2001 at 16:40:09 PT

Probably not going to forget
People probably aren't going to forget about this in a couple days.
[ Post Comment ]





  Post Comment