Murdered Family remembered this weekend...

This is the anniversary weekend of the murders of my friends,family and fellow freedom fighters Grover T Crosslin and Rollie Rohm by the FBI and the Michigan State police one week before 9/11 so the story never made it to the papers... I miss my friends...

THIS IS A MUST READ!!!

Here is a link to a picture of Tom and Rollie
http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/barterfair/photos/view/3d5a?b=7


By Lou Mumford, Tribune Staff Writer
Source: South Bend Tribune

Grover T. “Tom” Crosslin’s standoff came to a deadly end Monday. The 47-year-old owner of Rainbow Farm Campground was fatally shot by an FBI agent about 4:40 p.m. EDT Monday, according to Cass County Sheriff Joseph Underwood.
It was a grim ending for supporters of Crosslin, an advocate of marijuana legalization and personal rights, who was shot and killed on the perimeter of his 34-acre farm and establishment at 59896 Pemberton Road in Newberg Township.

The shooting occurred on the fourth day of the standoff that had pitted Crosslin and two others — Brandon James Peoples, whose age and address were unavailable, and Rolland Rohm, 28, of Vandalia — against the Cass County Sheriff’s Department, Michigan State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI had joined Cass County Sheriff’s deputies and Michigan State Police on Sunday.

Underwood said Monday night at a police staging area about a mile from the farm that Crosslin had been shot and killed by an FBI agent whom he did not identify. Although Underwood said the shooting occurred Monday afternoon, he didn’t make the announcement until about 10:15 p.m. EDT.

As a result, Crosslin’s supporters, some of whom had gathered only a short distance away from the staging area, weren’t aware he had been killed until they watched it on the evening TV news or heard it on the radio. When hearing the news, some screamed “murderers!”

“This deal has hurt a lot of people ... a lot of people,” said Geary Albright, an Elkhart resident and boyfriend of Crosslin’s sister, Shirley DeWeese.

The sheriff said efforts to negotiate directly with Crosslin to end the impasse looked promising Monday afternoon after he was given a telephone at his residence on the farm.

But Underwood said Crosslin asked to speak with a third party at the outset of the negotiation, and he became enraged when authorities denied his request.

He said Crosslin “made threatening remarks and gestures’’ before he terminated all efforts to negotiate and left the house with a rifle accompanied by Peoples. Upon leaving the house, Crosslin and Peoples were observed walking the perimeter of the residence with the weapon.

“They approached an area where an FBI observer had been stationed, and upon seeing the FBI observer, Crosslin immediately raised the weapon to shoulder height and pointed it directly at the agent,’’ Underwood said.

“At that moment, the FBI observer fired one round and fatally wounded Crosslin, with Brandon Peoples receiving minor injuries.’’

Peoples was slightly injured during the incident, and was immediately grabbed by authorities on site.

Rohm remained on the farm, and was still there negotiating with authorities early today.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Peoples would be charged with any crimes in the four-day standoff. Underwood said agents were still negotiating with Rohm for his possible surrender late Monday.

Earlier Monday, supporters of Crosslin said they anticipated a violent end to the standoff, which began Friday when Crosslin allegedly torched two buildings on his property.

“He’s (Crosslin) not going to give up. I know he won’t,’’ said Morel “Moses’’ Yonkers, of Elkhart. “I worked for him for 10 years. Trust me. I know.’’

Yonkers was among more than a dozen supporters of Crosslin at a makeshift campsite at Michigan 60 and White Temple Road, about two miles from the farm.

“I don’t think he’ll leave alive,’’ said Tommy Friend, a Cassopolis resident and an acquaintance of Crosslin who worked and stayed at his farm for two weeks.

Albright had spoken earlier Monday as if he clearly anticipated a tragic outcome.

”I wish it hadn’t come down to this. He’s done a lot of good things for people,’’ Albright said. “He’s a good man.’’

Crosslin’s father, Grover Crosslin, also of Vandalia, argued his son was non-violent, but stubborn.

“If he believes in something, he’s going to carry it through,’’ he said. “This is about property rights .... It’s enough to cause a war.’’

Crosslin advocated the legalization of marijuana. A Web site established by Crosslin after he purchased his farm and campground about 15 years ago touts “the medical, spiritual and responsible recreational use of marijuana for a more sane and compassionate America.’’

A former Elkhart resident, he had a varied work life that ranged from driving trucks and installing flagpoles to remodeling houses.

He was a history buff, buying a brick house built in 1807 that had once been a stop on the Underground Railroad with plans to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. And he was a staunch civil libertarian, having painted a Elkhart house on Dr. King Drive neon peach and lime green as part of a dispute with city officials over building code enforcement standards.

Vandalia Mayor Sondra Mose-Ursery said she knew Crosslin well and wasn’t surprised by his confrontation with authorities.

“I figured it was going to happen, by the way he had talked about not wanting to go to jail for (doing) something he believed in,’’ she said. “He believes he should be able to do what he wants on his own property.’’

She said she met Crosslin several years ago when he spent $2,000 on Christmas gifts for children in the village of Vandalia.

All seemed well for Crosslin until May.

That was when things began falling apart for the former Elkhart resident, who was arrested in May on drug charges.

He was scheduled to appear in court Friday for a hearing to revoke his $150,000 bond. But instead he skipped the hearing and then allegedly set fire to buildings on his property, which he had stood to lose under the state’s Drug Forfeiture Act.

Police said an anonymous telephone caller told them the fires were set “to ambush law enforcement officers when they arrived in response to the fire.’’

It’s believed Crosslin, Rohm or Peoples or a combination of the three also fired shots at three aircraft that flew over the property. One of the aircraft, a helicopter used by WNDU-TV, Channel 16, South Bend, was damaged.

On Monday, Crosslin had federal charges levied against him, resulting in the dispatch of FBI agents and a federal warrant against Crosslin on charges of attempted destruction of an aircraft and using a firearm to commit a felony. He was facing up to 30 years in prison if convicted of those.

On the state criminal counts, Crosslin was charged with manufacturing marijuana, more than 200 plants, a 15-year felony; maintaining a drug house, a two-year misdemeanor; felony firearm, a two-year felony; and possession of a firearm by a felon, a five-year felony.

Underwood said the show-cause petition and motion to revoke $150,000 bond for Crosslin grew out of a festival that was staged at the farm and campground Aug. 17 and 18.

He said bond conditions specified no such activity was to take place at the farm, based on drug activities that allegedly took place at the events.

Two more buildings were burned on the farm and campground, reportedly on Saturday. Underwood said the fires were set by Crosslin and not law enforcement.

Rohm is charged with manufacturing marijuana, maintaining a drug house, and felony firearm.

Tribune staff writer Jennifer Mack contributed to this report.

Staff writer Lou Mumford: lmumford@sbtinfo.com


This is the write up by one of the attendee's of the Memorial last year with a special twist to the story as we were welcomed back to the land by some of the new owners of important parts of the farm.



At 01:32 AM 9/7/06, Melody Karr wrote:

The faithful gathered once again this Labor Day, 2006, to remember
our fallen brothers, Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm --- to honor
Rainbow Farm, the dream they called into being with magic and sweat;
to mourn their deaths at the hand of a machine that cares only for
power and control; and to remind the community and the Authorities
once again that we will not forget.

The demonstration was a microcosm of the Farm itself: hippies and
hillbillies; multiple generations of families; old friends and
newcomers; Libertarians, tree huggers, and true hemp believers; folks
who helped build Rainbow Farm, and some who watched helplessly while
it burned. And, as always of course, the police and the press.

Reporters and photographers showed up from the South Bend Tribune and
the Elkhart Truth, along with a crew from channel 22 news who did a
live report at 6 o'clock. And the good folks of Cass County can rest
easy, knowing that this dangerous collection of tie dyed,
bubble-blowing, rainbow-painted sign-holders was well supervised at
their expense. Several county cruisers, including one pulling a
patrol boat, passed through the intersection repeatedly during the
two hours we occupied that corner; a couple of fellows who appeared
to be courthouse security officers guarded the rear of the building
and occasionally peeked around the wall at us then ducked under cover
again, muttering on their two-way radios; a Cassopolis police car
sat, almost out of sight behind the bank across the street, for about
45 minutes before circling the block to park in front of the bank.
Several folks

walked among the group with a quiet, "Heads up," as he left his car
and crossed the street to us.

Each year it seems the Authorities have some minor rule which
requires them to approach us and make their presence known (as though
we couldn't see them): keep moving, don't block the sidewalk, stay
off the grass, whatever. The specifics always change, and what was
acceptable last year may not be so this year; so we always go out, do
whatever we want, and wait for them to come tell us how we have to do
it differently. It seems to be a ritual equivalent of dogs circling
and sniffing one another to decide if they want to fight, and it's
never gone further than some raised hairs and maybe a low growl or two.

This particular officer was very easygoing: "I don't want to be out
here any more than you folks want me here, so if you could just help
me out and stay on the sidewalk away from the edge of the road, I'd
appreciate it." And, being reasonable people, we did. Kathy the
artist, who was decorating people with rainbows, even convinced the
nice policeman to let her draw one on his arm, although he did change
his mind with two colors left to go. I think he may have noticed the
tv camera across the street filming the whole encounter, because he
went back to his car mumbling something about seeing him in the
unemployment line.

During the second hour of the vigil, several smaller crews broke off
from the main group and began crossing the street --- with the
lights, of course --- covering all four corners of the intersection,
back and forth, sometimes slowing traffic, but always obeying the
signals. Response from the public was probably 95% positive through
out the demo, with honks, thumbs up, peace signs and power fists
vastly outnumbering the negative comments and gestures. I always
think of the folks going by as the unseen demonstrators: many of them
are afraid (or, let's face it, just unmotivated), to stand on the
corner themselves, but it is important to them that we're there, and
their support always helps to elevate the vibe. Some of them drive by
repeatedly, just to honk and wave again. One young man put his hand
on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze as I crossed the street. "You
roll on, girl, roll on. Tell them folks how it is."

We had been told over the weekend that Scott Teter, who has been
presiding over child support collections in Michigan since leaving
his County Persecutor position, believes that things have cooled down
enough in Cass County that he can come back and run for judge in the
next elections. Of course rumors always run rampant, but the source
on this one seemed fairly reliable, so we alerted as many locals as
we could while standing there, and I want to encourage everyone in
the movement to watch that situation. Just from public reaction ("Oh,
hell no!" was a common one), I don't think emotions have died down as
much as he may think.

As the last reporter left, crossing against the light, the youngest
of our group --- a boy about ten years old --- called after him,
"Careful with that jaywalking! The police are watching, and they
shoot to kill around here!"

Following the vigil, about a dozen of us met on Deadhead Hill, a
corner of the Rainbow Farm property bordering Kirk Lake Road and
state land. Until this year, we've always just driven in the front
gate, but we had heard the property was subdivided and much of it
sold. A modular home now stands on the exact spot where Tom and
Rollie made their last stand, the site of the old farmhouse.

We stood on the hill and looked across the small valley at the
remnants of the old stage, wondering if the people we could see there
were strangers or friends. Hollering across the space to them, we
established that they were some of the new owners, and Trena called,
"This is the fifth anniversary of when Tom and Rollie were murdered,
and we just came here to say a prayer."

The answer came back, a simple statement that broke something free in
my heart: "We knew you folks would be coming. You're all welcome
here." We looked at each other in happy disbelief.

Walking down that overgrown slope to meet them in the middle of the
valley, we felt like natives greeting the newcomers who have come to
settle on what was once our land and always will be --- not by any
legal contract, but by our common relationship with it --- meeting
those settlers and finding them neighborly and compassionate. Their
names were Jerry and Sue, from Elkhart, and it turns out that the
locals among us were familiar with Jerry's family, even went to
school with his brother. They had bought the property knowing a
little of its history, and Sue had read Burning Rainbow Farm out of
curiosity --- so they knew the story, and even recognized the names
of some of our group. The piece of land they own includes the old
stage, and they plan to leave it there and even replace the stolen
floorboards, "because we know people are going to want to come here,
and why not?

We could feel this is a special place. You're not hurting anything at
all, and you're always welcome here."

It felt like true Rainbow magic. Jerry and Sue left us for their
family barbecue, and we called in the dusk with circles of
remembrance --- a few of us on the stage with a bottle of homemade
wine, reading the tributes written on the uprights; others sitting in
the grass on the knoll. Eventually the two groups came together for a
prayer circle in the middle, with everyone offering some words as
they were moved to do so.

We straggled back to our cars in twos and threes, and stretched
goodbyes past moonrise. It's always been hard to leave the Farm.
There's one more joint to smoke, one more story to tell, another
address to jot down, another friend to hug, tokens to exchange. It's
hard to leave the spirit of peace and freedom that seems to come from
the land and the people together, for the dangers and pitfalls of
Babylon.

As always, I'm grateful to have had the chance to experience that
spirit in its full joy, sorrow, outrage, and healing unity.

Thanks to those of you who helped make the magic --- in person, in
spirit, in memory.

Thanks, Jerry and Sue.

Thanks, Tom. Thanks, Rollie.

 

sorry about your friend,, but theres a lesson to be learned,when surrounded by fbi agents,dont decide to throw your rainbow morals out the window and take up arms,unless you wanna die.
although it sounds as if that was his wish rather than to go to jail.

 

Very true, I believe that was their wish, and of course as you said there is a lesson to be learned here. Thanks...

 

The story goes a lot further than what was described here HHB...these are the bros that were throwing the Roach Roasts and if I remember right, the whole thing started because the bros were standing up for their constitutional rights & the rights of the people attending the Roasts by not letting the cops search folks on their property.

But yeah, there's still a lesson...the us government will not hesitate to kill when they believe that they are correct.

 

This is very true Hippiestead. They were holding pro hemp and marijuana rallies on the property, several every year and that is what pissed off Teter. I lived on the farm for a short time but lived near-by for years. I agree that the use of firearms by tom and rollie was wrong but, they defended their right to hold these rallies and were harrassed to this point. Things may have come out different if law enforcement had used different tactics too. Shooting Tom right between the eyes at close range was wrong. They could have used beanbags but decided not to.

The beautiful part of the story remains the fact that Teter thought he could cleanse the land by dividing it and selling it, but in the end the new owners have welcomed us back to this peice of land. Teter thought he could break us and our spirit but he was wrong...

 

well,, i dont think i would come to a gunfight with a bean bag shooter..

facts are facts,, and if what you posted was true,he pointed a weapon at someone who was armed. not sayin what led up to it was just or right,but at that point for the person being drawn on there is only 1 thing to do,an it sure as hell aint shoot them with bean bags...

how can you expect the feds to be all humane when your rainbow brother decides to stoop to there level?

not tryin to start no shit,,i just find that statement somewhat amusing under the circumstances...

 

I do agree to a point, and i know you're stating your point of view.
Law enforcement uses non lethal methods to squelch situations like this everyday.
Things were done wrong on both sides but only 2 people were held accountable for their actions, Tom and Rollie, and law enforcement has never been held responsible for theirs.
This story broke at a very bad time, 1 week prior to 9/11 and the story was squashed under that. I want to spread the story so people can learn from the mistakes that were made here on both sides.
Anyway you look at it, they were good people and very close friends...

 

from what ive seen,,when the feds get involved,there is nothing you can do but give up or prepare to die. i suppose they chose the latter.

it wouldnt have mattered if it did make the front page,sure as hell didnt make a diffrence at ruby ridge or waco.

 

I suppose you are right. making front page might have just saved me a little typing...
And on another note, Im glad you're doing ok HHB... Peace.