By DCist contributor Chris Cioffi

Wearing black and gold dreadlocks, fuzzy black and red knee-high platform shoes, white contacts, and a necklace with the “Hatchetman” logo, Miranda “TRIPLESIX” Edwards was easy to spot.

In front of the Lincoln Memorial, the St. Louis resident who owns and manages five properties couldn’t take a step without hearing “what’s up TRIPLESIX?” or getting a big hug.

“I’m Jugga-famous,” said Edwards, 34.

Edwards and more than 1,500 other fans of horror-rap duo Insane Clown Posse, who call themselves Juggalos, gathered in D.C. on Saturday to listen to the band’s music and protest its gang classification by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The classification has caused Juggalos hardship, and some shared stories that included job loss, dismissal from the military, and eviction. The FBI says “many Juggalos subsets exhibit gang-like behavior and engage in criminal activity and violence.”

But Edwards said the group is far from a gang. It’s a family of misfits drawn in by a love for the clown facepaint-wearing musicians Violent J and 2 Dope, and she’s been a part of it for two decades. The rally was planned to show the rest of America a new side of their subculture.

“I’m here to support my Juggalo family,” Edwards said.

One woman, a Virginian identified as Laura K. on the Juggalo March website, told the crowd she was arrested and served a sentence for a drunken-driving offense.

When her Hatchetman tattoo was discovered, however, officials listed her as a gang member. That triggered extensive probation conditions, including random home visits and a ban from school grounds. She couldn’t even attend her niece’s dance recital. If she were to go back to jail, she said, being in a gang would mean solitary confinement in a maximum security facility.

The crowd responded to her speech with enthusiastic “whoop whoop” cheers during positive moments.

The spray of Faygo soda and sounds of Insane Clown Posse music weren’t the only echoes on the National Mall this Saturday.

Other events, including demonstrations, charity runs, and weddings were held simultaneously, but the spotlight was on the Juggalos.

They were joined by anti-fascist protesters, camera-wielding journalists, documentary film crews, onlookers who just came to see the event, and lots of thoroughly confused tourists.

Prior to the event, left-leaning political groups like the D.C. chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Industrial Workers of the World put out statements in solidarity.

While it had been in the works for more than a year, the Juggalo Rally found itself in the national spotlight after organizers of the so-called Mother of All Rallies announced they would rally to “protect and preserve American culture,” less than a mile away at the Washington Monument.

Aside from a few curious Juggalos walking by the small MOAR gathering or some American flag-toting demonstrators wading through the crowd of ICP fans, the two groups had little interaction Saturday.

And that’s the way most Juggalos wanted it.

The Juggalo March festivities began at about 1 p.m. at the Lincoln Memorial, and demonstrators marched east in a loop to return to the Lincoln Reflecting Pool for a post-march rally and concert.

The notion of dueling rallies drew a crowd. Serene Lusano, 32, came all the way from Sacramento, California, to document the event. She heard a lot of chatter about conflict, and wanted to see the event for herself, she said.

“Everything is clownish, whether it’s the people on the right or whether it’s actual clowns,” she said.

But a lot of Juggalos felt like the attention to the event was positive.

“I think it went better than amazing,” said Chris “Mankini” Fabritz, a Juggalo from Germantown. “I think everything surrounding us was extremely positive.”

The 31-year-old said that he felt people learned about Juggalo culture, and the group showed the world it’s made up of a bunch of normal people.

“People actually took the time and got to know us,” he said. “I honestly believe that the American public that aren’t Juggalos are ready to stand with us and help us remove the FBI gang label.”

The music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but listening to music, and going to concerts and annual gatherings gave Fabritz and others a sense of belonging. That’s what the Juggalos showed the world in the shadow of Lincoln.

“Maybe there was some people there looking to make fun of us, and you know what, that’s cool,” he said. “It doesn’t really affect us—we turn it back around into love.”

Previously:
Juggalos Want No Part Of The Pro-Trump Rally That Will Be Protesting The Same Day
It’s Less Than A Month Until The Juggalos Have To Share The National Mall With Pro-Trump Rally
Juggalos Are Going To March On Washington Next Fall