Fans of a controversial rap duo recently lost a court case against the FBI.
If you’re a fan of the rap duo Insane Clown Posse, you sometimes wear weird clown makeup, you call yourself a Juggalo or a Juggalette, and you may have attended an annual festival called “The Gathering of the Juggalos.” And—according to the FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center—you may be a member of a dangerous gang. Or maybe you aren’t.
The Insane Clown Posse (ICP) is a pair of Detroit performers who specialize in a violence-saturated style of hip-hop music known as “horrorcore.” The performers—Joseph Bruce (“Violent J”) and Joseph Utsler (“Shaggy 2 Dope”) have been enormously successful, producing two platinum and five gold albums; total sales exceeded 11 million in 2012. The duo employs graphic symbols in its albums and concerts, and their music is so shocking that it is never played on the radio.
The Insane Clown Posse starting having trouble with the Department of Justice in 2011, when the FBI included the Juggalos in a report about gangs. According to the report, Juggalos constituted “a loosely organized hybrid gang” who have committed assaults and vandalism; a “small number,” the report says, engaged in more serious crimes.
The Insane Clown Posse filed a Freedom of Information act demanding to see the FBI’s sources. In response, the FBI released documents describing the Juggalos as “a legitimate gang” who “number in the thousands” and “follow the ICP in almost a religious manner….They have their own hand signs, slang, an anthem, and a pledge of allegiance to the ICP and their ideas.” The report (which has been posted online) speaks of ICP “teachings” and a “cult-like following.” But no documentation for these claims was ever released by the FBI, and more recent FBI reports about gangs do not mention the Juggalos.
Although the FBI no longer describes Juggalos as a gang, some law enforcement agencies still use the 2011 report to detain and question citizens displaying ICP makeup and symbols. In January this year, the ICP joined with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and four Juggalos to sue the FBI over the “gang” label.
Attorney Farris F. Haddad, who filed the suit, says that he’s been “a huge fan” since he was twelve years old. Because of the FBI’s 2011 report, he says, “I could potentially lose my law license for going to a concert or listening to a band or wearing a T-shirt or something like that because, technically, I am committing a crime or associating with criminals.”
Juggalos from Nevada, California, North Carolina, and Iowa testified that they had been subjected to police harassment or other punishments for identifying with Insane Clown Posse. Brandon Bradley, from California, said he had been stopped and questioned by police on several occasions because he wore Juggalo tattoos and clothing. At a news conference he said he was standing up “for people like me who are being discriminated against, just because of the music we listen to,” adding, “I’m a peaceful person and I try to live my life right.”
But Judge Robert Cleland disagreed and recently dismissed the Juggalos’ case, arguing the U.S. Justice Department is not responsible for how authorities use a national report on gangs. The FBI report, according to Cleland, “does not recommend any particular course of action for local law enforcement to follow, and instead operates as a descriptive, rather than prescriptive, assessment of nationwide gang trends.”
Is the FBI justified in considering Juggalos dangerous? Yes—in some cases. Self-identified Juggalos have been associated with assaults,drug trafficking, vandalism, burglary, shootings, theft, robbery, and murder. Juggalo-named gangs have affiliated themselves with the Bloods (a Los-Angeles based gang) and the Crips in Utah. Several prison gangs have identified themselves as Juggalos. Paul Richard, a youth minister in Virginia, says he knows of two teen suicides associated with the Juggalos. Four people have died at the annual “Festival of the Juggalos” gatherings.
Fans of the group say that deaths have also occurred at performances by other performers: A famous example is the fourteen-year-old girl crushed to death at a David Cassidy concert in 1974. In their suit against the FBI, the ICP argued, “Among the supporters of almost any group—whether it be a band, sports team, university, political organization, or religion—there will be some people who violate the law.” And, they insist, “it is wrong to designate the entire group of supporters as a criminal gang based on the acts of a few. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened here.”
Some Juggalo groups—fighting back against the “gang” reputation—have even formed charities. A group called “Juggalos for Suicide Awareness and Prevention” is active on Facebook, with over 6,500 “likes.” Juggalos have held toy drives and trash collection projects. In 2014, Insane Clown Posse held a charity concert to raise money for the family of a Juggalo who had died from a debilitating illness.
Joseph Utsler (“Shaggy 2 Dope”) of the ICP has publicly rejected the violence espoused by some of his followers. “We’re not a gang, we’re a family,” he said. “We’re a diverse group of men and women, united by our love of music and nothing more. We’re not a threat, a public menace, or a danger to society.”
The ACLU says it will appeal Judge Cleland’s decision against the Juggalos, and Insane Clown Posse is renewing its Freedom of Information demand for FBI documentation about the Juggalos’ alleged cult-like practices in its 2011 report.
Should parents be worried about the young people who avidly follow the Insane Clown Posse? Researchers are continuing to study the effects of pop music saturated with violent imagery. Parents, community officials, psychologists, and church officials have expressed concern about the long-term effects on young people who are just beginning to develop values and goals.
But there’s good news too. Crime rates—including crimes committed by juveniles—have been dropping in recent years, despite the frightening messages embedded in some of today’s popular music. Professionals who work with youth are urging parents to stick to the strategies that have always helped protect teens from dangerous influences.
Jeanie Lerche Davis, author of an award-winning report called “How to Talk to Your Teen,” has posted a list of parenting tips on WebMD. They include common-sense reminders for parents to talk to their teenagers, get to know their friends, supervise their comings and goings, and keep reinforcing the values they’ve been teaching all along. Sound advice!
To learn more:
http://publicintelligence.net/ufouo-national-gang-intelligence-center-juggalos-intelligence-report/
http://www.thewire.com/national/2014/07/insane-clown-posse-loses-fbi-lawsuit-juggalos-a-gang/374093/
http://www.wired.com/2013/03/fbi-juggalos/
http://huff.to/1qUYIFV
http://www.insaneclownposse.com
http://media.mlive.com/newsnow_impact/other/MuckRock%20Insane%20Clown%20Posse%20Documents.pdf
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/10-parenting-tips-for-raising-teenagers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juggalos
https://www.facebook.com/JuggalosForSuicideAwarenessAndPrevention
Jean Reynolds, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of English at Polk State College, where she taught report writing and communication skills in the criminal justice program. She is the author of ten books, including Police Talk (Pearson), and she publishes a Police Writer Newsletter. Visit her website at www.YourPoliceWrite.com for free report writing resources. Go to www.Amazon.com for a free preview of her book Criminal Justice Report Writing. Dr. Reynolds is the police report writing expert for Law Enforcement Today.
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