Homeless man's beating shakes up hippie haven

Homeless man's beating shakes up hippie haven
Story Highlights
Bolinas, in northern California's Marin County, is known as 1960s hippie enclave

Ricky Green dropped out, moved to Bolinas, was known for "Jimi Hendrix vibe"

Green attacked June 23, allegedly by 6 youths, and stabbed on beach

Violence rattles small town that views itself as different

BOLINAS, California (AP) -- Ricky Green wandered into this town some months ago, a stranger just a bit stranger than most.


A sign describing Bolinas as a peaceful, loving town greets visitors along the main road.

He had shed his middle-class respectability -- a job as a graphic artist in the 'burbs -- strapped a guitar over his shoulder and landed on what he told people was "a spiritual journey."

Bolinas seemed like a good fit.

The unincorporated town of 1,600 on the Pacific coast is Marin County's most blatant throwback to the Summer of Love, a hippie haven that is bent on stopping tourists from spoiling its laid-back groove.

The 33-year-old, prone to age of Aquarius-speak about the moon and the stars, already looked sort of like a local.

As one resident, Bill Boman, put it, "he had this Jimi Hendrix vibe."

But Green never quite meshed with the Bolinas social fabric. The night of June 23 proved how much he remained an outsider in a liberal enclave stubbornly averse to strangers.

Six young people, including two juveniles, are said to have attacked and stabbed Green with a viciousness that is forcing Bolinas to search its soul for meaning.

The other day, fresh out of the hospital, Green was spotted back in town. (He proved elusive, always a step ahead of visitors trying to find him.) Many folks weren't happy to see him.
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