An attendee at the annual Gathering of the Juggalos took place in Legend Valley, Ohio, over the weekend. (Photo by Nate “Igor” Smith/Chicagoist)
At the Gathering of the Juggalos, the 17th annual celebration of all things Insane Clown Posse, the rap rock duo announced it would be marching on Washington next fall to protest its FBI classification as a gang.
Gathering 17 was fuckin amazing!! Thank u!! Remember to save the weekend of Sept 15-17, 2017 for the JUGGALO MARCH ON DC! We march on 9/16!
— Violent J & 2 Dope (@icp) July 24, 2016
“They call the Juggalo World a movement, right? Well, let’s move!” said frontman Joe “Violent J” Bruce, according to The Detroit News.
According to ICP’s “What Is A Juggalo?” song, “What is a juggalo? / Let me think for a second / Oh, he gets butt-naked / And then walks through the streets / Winking at the freaks / With a two-liter stuck in his butt cheeks.”
The planned march marks the latest salvo in a legal battle between Insane Clown Posse and Feds that stems from a 2011 Federal Bureau of Investigations report calling Juggalos “a loosely-organized hybrid gang.” (Another government report, which also refers to them as “Big Money Hustlas,” says the Juggalos are a “nationwide white gang.”)
Insane Clown Posse sued the government, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, back in 2014 over the classification. They said that Juggalos, who often paint their faces in white and black, were being stopped and detained by law enforcement as a result of the classification. Other consequences, according to ICP, include job losses, dismissal from military service, eviction, and lost child custody.
“The Juggalos are fighting for the basic American right to freely express who they are, to gather and share their appreciation of music, and to discuss issues that are important to them without fear of being unfairly targeted and harassed by police,” said Michael J. Steinberg, ACLU of Michigan legal director, in a statement.
While a U.S. District Court judge dismissed the case for lack of standing, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reinstated it last September.
“We can’t wait to get back in that courtroom and fight to clear our family name,” ICP said in a statement. “To all Juggalos … thank you for standing strong with us in this battle and MUCH CLOWN LOVE! WHOOP WHOOP!”
When Insane Clown Posse takes to the streets next September in D.C., the plan is to march on September 16 from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, where speakers will talk about being a Juggalo, followed by a free concert, according to the True Juggalo Family website.
“Violent J promised the biggest Faygo Armageddon that has ever been seen,” says the True Juggalo Family site, referring to Insane Clown Posse’s beloved tradition of spraying the Detroit-made soft drink at the end of a show. The following day, ICP will host a picnic for supporters.
While Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope spent years performing violent and misogynistic songs, they started this decade by “outing” themselves as evangelical Christians who just want to learn how magnets work.
Rachel Kurzius