Juggalos to sue US government for classifying ICP fans as criminal gang

The Juggalos, a subculture of fans devoted to the music group Insane Clown Posse, announced Wednesday that they are suing the government for violating their civil liberties.

Speaking at a press conference with the American Civil Liberties Union Wednesday in Detroit, the Juggalos said their constitutional rights to expression and association were violated when the federal government classified the entire Juggalo fan base as a gang. Four Juggalo members, along with ICP rappers Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, have initiated the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

“There has never been — and will never be — a music fan base quite like Juggalos,” said Violent J, “and while it is easy to fear what one does not understand, discrimination and bigotry against any group of people is just plain wrong and un-American.”

According to the government, more than a million fans of the Detroit horrorcore group ICP have unofficially joined the Juggalo culture — and they consider themselves a family. Juggalos often paint their faces to look like clowns, display the group’s hatchetman logo and even use their own Juggalo vocabulary (Whoop Whoop!).

Much like Deadheads bonded around the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, the ACLU argues, the Juggalos are simply a group of people who have formed a bond over ICP’s music and the group’s philosophy on life (see: “Miracles”).

But when the U.S. Department of Justice included Juggalos as a “hybrid gang” in the DOJ’s third National Gang Threat Assessment, Juggalos suffered “improper investigations, detentions and other denials of their personal rights at the hands of government officials,” as well as being denied employment, the ACLU alleges.

“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,” the complaint reads. “Inevitably, some will do so while sporting the group’s logos or symbols. However, it is wrong to designate the entire group of supporters as a criminal gang based on the acts of a few.”

People who self-identify as Juggalos have been accused of violent crimes, even murder, but the lawsuit says those crimes have no real connection. In 2010, in response to a “performance” by Tila Tequila at the Gathering of the Juggalos, spectators showered her with debris onstage, allegedly throwing rocks, bottles, feces and even a urine-soaked watermelon at the reality TV personality. Last year, 21-year-old James Sweet, who identified as a Juggalo, allegedly stabbed a 14-year-old boy after being teased.

“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.

Plaintiffs in the case allege that they were treated like hardcore gang members just for being Juggalos.