Insane Clown Posse Won't Take FBI Gang Designation Lying Down

Associated Press
Eric Randall 3,354 Views Aug 10, 2012

Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, the hip hop duo that makes up Insane Clown Posse is pretty unhappy with the FBI for labeling their fan-base, known as Juggalos, as a "loosely-organized hybrid gang," so unhappy that they're suing. Writing from the whimsical-sounding dateline of Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, the world's leading Juggalo expert, The Village Voice's Camille Dodero, reports (employing three exclamation points in her headline) that the band has even set up a website, JuggalosFightBack.com, to collect info from their fans about possible abuses from law enforcement.

In its 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment report, the FBI named the Juggalos as a "hybrid gang" united by their fandom for the band. This became more serious when officials put a Juggalo wanted for missing probation on the Most Wanted list, calling him a "gang member." The band's site reads:

On behalf of the Juggalos, the Insane Clown Posse and Psychopathic Records are investigating a possible lawsuit against the FBI or other governmental agencies that have violated the rights of Juggalos on the mistaken belief that they are 'gang members'.

For background on the group, we still have to recommend Dodero's Voice article, "Live from Insane Clown Posse's Gathering of the Juggalos." As evidenced by their stand-off with federal law enforcement, this is a musical phenomenon that bears little resemblance to any we've seen before.

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