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Rainbow camping retreat on mountain turns violent

By Jon Johnson
Assistant Editor
Published on Friday, April 10, 2009 2:40 AM MST

A camping retreat for members of the Rainbow Family at the old Cluff Dairy Farm on Mount Graham turned violent Wednesday evening as one member was allegedly beaten with a frying pan.

The Rainbow Family is a counterculture group that has gatherings of its followers to create temporary communities. The gatherings are usually held in outdoor locales and spread a message of peace, love, harmony and community. The largest Rainbow Gatherings have attracted 30,000 people. According to a Web site dedicated to the Rainbow Gatherings, the next scheduled gathering will take place in New Mexico later this year.

According to police reports from the Graham County Sheriff's Office, a small group of Rainbow members were camping at the old dairy farm when a confrontation arose at about 10:40 p.m.

Cory Alan Joyner, also known as 2Tall, told officers he was arguing with his girlfriend, Candise Marie Olten, aka Candy, when the rest of the group got mad at them because arguing is not allowed. Joyner told deputies that another member of the group, Amanda Rudder, aka Memphis, attacked Olten with a rock. He said he attempted to help Olten and other members of the group attacked him.

Olten also told deputies Rudder had attacked her. She was found below the picnic area known as Wet Canyon by University of Arizona officer Jerry Garcia, who called Graham County deputies. The U of A has a police unit on the mountain to protect the property of the Mount Graham International Observatory.

Joyner said another member, Marc Constantine Alexander, hit him in the head with a frying pan. Joyner said he and was hit and kicked repeatedly as he fell to the ground. When he got up, Joyner said he was still mad at Rudder so he picked up a rock and broke out the rear and passenger windows of her car his on way out of camp.

Joyner began having a seizure during his police interview and paramedics from Southwest Ambulance transported him to the forest boundary line. There, Joyner was airlifted to the intensive care unit at the University Medical Center in Tucson. According to a public affairs officer from UMC, Joyner has been releaed from the hospital.

Deputies received mixed stories from the group members, who had been drinking alcohol.

Alexander told deputies he heard Joyner breaking the windows and had a physical confrontation with him. According to the police report, Alexander admitted striking Joyner multiple times but denied using anything other than his own hands.

Other members of the group stated Joyner had been the one beating up on Olten and that Joyner assaulted them when they tried to stop him.

The Graham County Sheriff's Office investigation is ongoing, and multiple assault charges and criminal damage against Joyner are pending the investigative review.

Alexander was taken into custody at the scene and was booked into the Graham County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault against Joyner.

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Comments

31 comment(s)

Hottlipps wrote on Apr 18, 2009 11:33 AM:

" Hey Fred, don't you know that when you put both feet in your mouth, you don't have a leg to stand on? Think about it, you droopy old furt! "

DD wrote on Apr 17, 2009 8:17 AM:

" High Holy, i think you are the shallow minded one. What is with the small town dopes thing you say, sounds like someone got burned by a "small town dope". No i dont share the same views as the Rainbow group i dont need to hit people with frying pans or jump someone and send them to the hospital but i think you share and a possible a member of the Rainbow Group. "

Shaesca wrote on Apr 16, 2009 9:04 AM:

" Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry Garcia??????? "

HIGH HOLY wrote on Apr 15, 2009 9:59 AM:

" DD How do you figure that this stupid story has reached the NEW YORK post don't flatter yourself. It is Graham County nothing to do with New York!! Why would they even care they surely have better things to do than to listen to small town DOPES with shallow minds. Maybe you should practice what ever it is that you preach! Why is it such a big deal ??? Do some research and find out if maybe you share some of the same ideas that the "RAINBOW" sub culture???? So shallow to even care "

Rainbow Warrior wrote on Apr 14, 2009 10:04 PM:

" Some say we're the largest non-organization of non-members in the world. We have no leaders, and no organization. To be honest, the Rainbow Family means different things to different people. I think it's safe to say we're into intentional community building, non-violence, and alternative lifestyles. We also believe that Peace and Love are a great thing, and there isn't enough of that in this world. Many of our traditions are based on Native American traditions, and we have a strong orientation to take care of the the Earth. We gather in the National Forests yearly to pray for peace. "

Old Hippie wrote on Apr 14, 2009 8:51 PM:

" Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of heaven, justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowin' come the judgment day
on the bl**dy morning after one tin soldier rides away "

UAPD are Jokes wrote on Apr 14, 2009 5:58 PM:

" I think these wanna be cops need to stay in tucson where they belong. There not welcomed here. That officer Wood has some wannabe big man disease and needs someone to put him in his place. They either need to stay on the mountain or in Tucson but quit acting like they are local police that are needed here in and around the valley. "

bwana wrote on Apr 14, 2009 12:10 PM:

" Oh FRED!
As usual, you don't know what you are talking about...I don't run with that 'Rainbow' crowd, they're too darn rednecked for me! "

DD wrote on Apr 14, 2009 8:25 AM:

" HIGH HOLY, i think you should pratice what you preach, regardless of what you think not all people in small towns are "shallow minded small town dopes" when a story like this reaches the new york post of course people are going to start talking crap, safford is a small community that helps each other and knows everyone. when poeple make this town look bad we get upset besides hippie is not a bad name just a description of people who smoke alot of weed or drink alot of alcohol and somehow Jerry Garcia always ends up in the mix. "

Norm Johnson wrote on Apr 13, 2009 3:03 PM:

" Ironic it is, that Jerry Garcia had to 'break it up'!

Last time I ran into them, 1998, at Carnero Lake, West of Springerville, it was a peaceful gathering.
no violence but plenty of shop-lifting and pan-handling.

This looses the last vestiges of what began
to rot over 40 years ago and, yep, alcohol, though I be a drinker, not a smoker, as I see it, is to blame. "

Dude wrote on Apr 13, 2009 1:01 PM:

" Is this theonion.com or is this really a story in the courier. This story made my week. "

Scooter wrote on Apr 13, 2009 10:41 AM:

" GO JERRY!!

Ha ha...Remind me to stay FAR, FAR away from the "peaceful" hippies! "

Bonita Bob wrote on Apr 13, 2009 10:15 AM:

" "The Rainbow Family is a counterculture group"
Huh?
How about a group of freaks and eco-terrorists?

Read about their annual gathering and the grief they create. Wandering freak show. "

HIGH HOLY wrote on Apr 11, 2009 6:46 PM:

" I think that you should think about what you see on this comment sections?!?!
Are you talking peace, love, and happiness here? I think you are all just shallow minded small town dopes who think that they are helping the community by bad mouthing others. I am neither HIPPIE or FARMER and really you can't tell the difference they all smell about the same!!!!!!!!!!!! They are PEOPLE just like you. "

Fred wrote on Apr 11, 2009 12:59 PM:

" I seen my old friends Mati, Bwana and Hotlipps heading up the mountain that day. Hope you all had a great time. "

bwana wrote on Apr 11, 2009 9:37 AM:

" Yep! Alcohol brings out the worst in people. Everything would have been fine at their campout if they stuck to weed and peyote....
But then they might have had to deal with Jerry Garcia arresting them for possession of illegal drugs...OMG, that just ain't right! "

Dont drink and groove wrote on Apr 11, 2009 7:05 AM:

" No Dom, if they were eating mushrooms or smoking cannabis this would never have happened. This is a good reason to not drink alcohol. Of course you could have meant alcohol because it is a drug, but I felt you should have been more specific. Alcohol causes problems like this, not peaceful drugs like cannabis and mushrooms. "

Famous wrote on Apr 11, 2009 5:14 AM:

" This is sooooo gay.... How can peace activists end up in brawl..... Losers "

Love It wrote on Apr 10, 2009 8:01 PM:

" The Rainbow People getting help from "Jerry Garcia" of the UAPD? What are the chances? "

Tim wrote on Apr 10, 2009 8:59 AM:

" I dunno. Have there been instances of violence in the past through all the years I can remember them being around town? Other than the occasional annoyance of their b.o. stinkin up my general breathing area while they beg for pocket change, I don't see too much of a reason to get down on 'em too much. They do need to think about getting the h*ll away from alcohol, though and get back to their message-whatever that may be. "

Joe Public wrote on Apr 10, 2009 7:32 AM:

" Ha! I know, how ironic.. "

jw wrote on Apr 10, 2009 12:20 AM:

" please take YOUR peace love and harmony somewhere else.. to another community.. wait i dont think anyone else would want you either bye bye "

Dom wrote on Apr 9, 2009 10:41 PM:

" ....and this, children, is why we don't do drugs "

thatchersucks wrote on Apr 9, 2009 10:09 PM:

" is this a joke? the u of a officer was named jerry garcia..... "

Slap Stick wrote on Apr 9, 2009 9:20 PM:

" What great comedy.

Ha Ha Ha.

They're all drinking, arguing, & beating each other up. What wonderful peace, love & harmony. "

Jones wrote on Apr 9, 2009 9:15 PM:

" So the people got mad because arguing is not allowed? So attacking is allowed? It is beautiful that the officer that found the girl who was attacked by her hippie friends for arguing was named Jerry Garcia. Get a haircut hippies! "

Humor wrote on Apr 9, 2009 7:47 PM:

" Peace (smack), Love (whack), & Harmony (bonk)...hahahahaha!!! "

Knot Head wrote on Apr 9, 2009 7:00 PM:

" Peace, love and harmony delivered via an iron cooking utinsil, AKA frying pan. Were any drug tests ran on the bunch? Smokin' crushed pine cones tends to turn one violent at times. "

David wrote on Apr 9, 2009 6:42 PM:

" Hippies man... "

Vanessa wrote on Apr 9, 2009 6:25 PM:

" And they wonder why this town gets a bad rap in the new york post! lol "

Hmm... wrote on Apr 9, 2009 3:31 PM:

" Peace, love, harmony and community? Hee Hee Hee! "

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