We Are Not A Gang! We Are Family!:
Juggalos Fight Back
Abstract
“Juggalo” is the name of the very dedicated fans of the Insane Clown Posse and the other artists on the bands record label Psychopathic Records. In 2011, the FBI’s Gang Activity report listed Juggalos as a growing gang threat in the United States. Since then, Juggalos from across the country started flooding Psychopathic Records and the Insane Clown Posse with e-mails stating that they were being harassed by law enforcement just for having the logo of Psychopathic Records the Hatchet Man (shown on title page) on the back windows of their cars, walking into their probation officers office with Psychopathic Records gear on, even just walking down the street with an Insane Clown Posse T-Shirt on.
Why are all Juggalos being targeted, instead of just those with affiliations to an actual gang? Has this kind of blatant labeling of an entire fan base ever happened in music before? What is Psychopathic Records and the Insane Clown Posse doing about the FBI’s new label on Juggalos and what impact is it having on the band, and the business they represent?
What is a Juggalo? It’s not just the name of a song by the Insane Clown Posse, it is the name given to their ultra-loyal almost cult-like fan base. To the fans of the band, it is the name that was used to describe the audience at a live concert in 1994 by Joe Bruce, better known to the Juggalos as “Violent J” during the song “The Juggla” from their first full length CD Carnival of Carnage. (Joe Bruce, 2003) Since then the fan base has bloomed and the word has grown to mean fans of any artist on the groups own label Psychopathic Records. There is an annual music festival called the “Gathering of the Juggalos” where fans around the world come together to listen to all of the bands on Psychopathic Records, and other bands that the fans have grown to admire from all genres of music; bands such as Mushroomhead from Cleveland, Ohio known for their masks and ultra-heavy metal sound have played the Gathering every year also fellow underground rap favorite Tech N9ne (Tech Nine) has played almost every Gathering since breaking out in 2001with his album Anghellic. The Gathering also includes seminars and Q&A’s from all of the artists letting fans know what to expect from the coming year from them, JCW (Juggalo Championship Wrestling) carnival rides, and more. (Andresen, 2009)
To the F.B.I. however, the word has a much darker meaning and is viewed as a growing threat to the country; in a 2011 nationally released document the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s anti-gang unit said that the fan base is a growing gang threat and that Juggalos are being arrested of some very serious offenses. The document listed the criteria they used to define Juggalos as a gang: “Most crimes committed by Juggalos are sporadic, disorganized, individualistic, and often involve simple assault, personal drug use and possession, petty theft, and vandalism.” (October 2011) According to dictionary.com there are seven definitions of the word “gang” all meaning a group of people, coming together for a common bond, usually a social reason but could also be for work. However the most common definition of a gang is related to criminal activity. The true and real definition of a Juggalo is a fan of Psychopathic Records, this FBI classification, however is giving all Juggalos a bad reputation, calling the Insane Clown Posse themselves the leaders of the gang, and that they are calling all of the shots.
This is where the lines get skewed on what people think about Juggalos, The FBI and other law enforcement agencies based their opinion that all Juggalos are criminals. In a 2010 Nightline segment, Det. Michelle Vasey listed the cities and states who had already listed Juggalos as a local gang Utah, Arizona, and Munroe County, Pennsylvania were mentioned and explained just what they were looking for in Juggalo suspects; ICP or Psychopathic Records apparel either featuring the Hatchet Man, or ICP symbols or characters known as the “6 Faces of the Joker’s Cards” Carnival of Carnage, The Ringmaster, The Riddle Box, The Great Milenko, The Amazing Jeckel Brothers, and The Wraith, tattoos depicting the Hatchet Man and the Joker’s Cards, people walking around with hatchets, cars with the symbols, certain hand gestures and faces painted like the Wicked Clowns themselves. (ABC News, 2010) When the Insane Clown Posse were asked by Martin Bashir on Nightline what they thought about Juggalos being classified a gang as dangerous as The Latin Kings, Crypts and Bloods, Joey Ulster A.K.A. Shaggy 2 Dope replied “I’m sure they watch Stephen King too”, Joe Bruce added “I call bullshit, I say it’s not true…” and was then interrupted by Bashir who mentions a case from 2006 were an individual killed someone in a gay bar and called himself a Juggalo then killed a police officer at a routine traffic stop. The group replied “There’s something wrong with that kid, he was insane to begin with, better holla at his parents; see how they raised him and stuff” Bashir then mentions another incident from 2009 and was interrupted by Bruce who said “Come on man! Who else do they listen to why don’t you blame them!? Just the way you are reading these off you are making it sound like a brutal attack like our fans are like these dangerous people when it’s the most, misconstrued thing” Bashir rebuttled with “Violent J, I didn’t say that. I am just reporting the facts of these cases…” (ABC News, 2010) In every case he reported on the suspects were “Self-proclaimed Juggalos” and only one was taken into custody wearing any kind of ICP, or Juggalo related merchandise. While nothing to the extent of calling an eitire fanbase a gang has happened in the history of music, this is not the first time music has been the catalyst for convictions or something to place blame for violent behavior; in 1993, three eight year old boys were brutally murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Miskelly Jr. were charged and convicted of the murders without a shred of physical evidence linking any of them to the crime. The original trial focused on the fact that the killings looked satanic in nature, because the three suspects were young and in a very Baptist community were viewed as strange because they had black hair, wore black, and listened to heavy metal music, in particular the now Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Metallica, over the next 15 years many appeals to overturn the convictions were held and eventually the three entered Alford pleas (a guilty plea with admission of innocence) to get released from prison even after DNA evidence excluded all three from the crimes. (HBO, 2011)
In 1999, the investigators of the Columbine school shootings said that the two killers there listened to Rob Zombie, German heavy metal band Rammstein but the largest was Marilyn Manson and claimed it was a catalyst for the shootings (Sony Pictures, 1999) and in 2000 Limp Bizkit was blamed for the riot that happened at Woodstock 2000 after performing their hit song “Break Stuff”. (MTV, 2000) After 9/11 System of a Down’s album Toxicity was #1 in the country, the hit single from the album was “Chop Suey!” (Originally titled “Suicide” but pressure from the label forced the band to change the name) Clear Channel radio had the song put on the “Post 9/11 list of inappropriate titles” and the songs air play was drastically cut, however it was never banned completely, Serj Tankian, singer for System of a Down posted the news on the bands web site after the attack. After the F.B.I placed Juggalos on the top 10 gang activity list, the Insane Clown Posse fought back after being flooded by e-mails, tweets and Facebook messages from Juggalos saying how they were being arrested, having their probation officers violate their proabtion and even being put back in jail for being Juggalos, and having association with the band, brand and name. The band released a video on you tube after the 2012 Gathering of the Juggalos stating they were launching a campaign called “Juggalos Fight Back” with flyers, desktop themes, pictures to post on social media, t-shirts and even a forum for Juggalos to post their stories on the internet and even offering to pay legal fees of all Juggalos being falsely arrested, and charged of crimes because of their association to the Juggalo Family. They also announced that they were suing the FBI for placing Juggalos on the gang threat list (Psychopathic Records, 2012) On the album The Great Milenko there is a song titled “What Is A Juggalo” tried to answer the question but simply a Juggalo is a fan of “The most successful band on the planet that you have never heard of” (ABC News, 2010) the song featured comical definitions to the question such as:
Shaggy 2 Dope: ‘What is a Juggalo? He's a graduate: He graduated from....well, At least, he got a job, He's not a dump puttz He works for himself scratching his nuts’ Violent J: ‘What is a Juggalo? A Hulkamaniac: He powerbombs mother f****rs into thumbtacks, People like him till They find out he's unstable, He Sabu'd your momma through a coffee table’ Chorus: ‘What is a Juggalo? A Juggalo, That's what it is well, f***, if I know. What is a Juggalo? I don't know, But I'm down with the clown, and I'm down for life, yo’
People always say that Juggalos are the friendliest people they ever meet, but just like with everything in this world, every group has those exceptions to the normal. “Out of the millions and millions of people who have bought our albums some of them probably have gone out and committed these horrendous crimes…” said Violent J He was then asked by Martin Bashir if he admits that, J answered “Yes! Absolutely” Shaggy went on to say “There’s a bad apple in every bunch, you know what I’m sayin’? If that kid got a screw loose, it might take something else, not us to set them off” Bruce concluded with “If any of our fans go out and kill somebody, please don’t buy any more of our records! Get out of our lives you’re a sicko”. Juggalos as a whole have been targeted by the FBI and law enforcement all over the country, even if they have not done anything wrong, Psychopathic Records and the Insane Clown Posse were flooded by e-mails from fans everywhere that said that they were pulled over, stopped by, or followed by police then harassed just for wearing ICP gear, having a Hatchet Man car decal, using Juggalo catch phrases, so on. (Bruce, 2012) Following the demands, and requests of Juggalos for the band and company as a whole to do something about this assault on the name Juggalo, the band launched a campaign that started with a lawsuit against the FBI, there is now a website (juggalosfightback.com) that Juggalos across the country can go to and post their experiences since the 2011 report, they have also said they will pay the legal fees of the more severe cases involving persecution as a Juggalo. Since the name Juggalo was created in 1994 millions of people have become a member of the “family” or fan base of the Insane Clown Posse and Psychopathic Records, but in 2011 the FBI declared this family a gang, since then Juggalos from across the country have been targeted by law enforcement and now the Juggalos, and the band they follow are fighting back, with social media, and even a law suit against the FBI. Never before in music has anything like this happened before, while music has been used as a catalyst for blame, this is the first time however that a who fan base has been declared a gang. Jugalos are fighting back all over the country, and it has also sparked worldwide interest as well, as posts from around the world are flooding juggalosfightback.com. Now more than ever the phrases “Imma be down with the Clowns until I’m dead in the ground” and “I’ll Always have Juggalo Familiy” have never been louder and meant so much to Juggalos.
REFERENCES
ABC News Nightline (2010) “’Juggalo’ Insanity” Andresen, P. (Director). (2010). A Family Underground. USA: Psychopathic Records. (2010) Berlinger, J., & Sinofsky, B. (Directors). (2012). The Paradise Lost Trilogy. USA: HBO. (2012) Bruce, J. (2003). Behind the paint (\ ed., Vol. 1). Detroit, USA: Psychopathic Records Federal Bureau of Investigation Gang Enforcement Agency. (2011, October). 2011 Gang Activity Report (Federal Bureau of Investigation, Author). Quantico, VA. Insane Clown Posse. (1997). The Great Melinko [CD]. Detroit, MI: Psychopathic Records. Moore, M. (Director). (2003). Bowling For Columbine. USA: Sony Pictures. (2003) MTV News [Television episode]. (2000). In Woodstock Rundown. New York, NY: MTV. Nightline: "'Juggalo' Insanity" [Video file]. (2010, March 4). Retrieved from http://abcnews.com
Psychopathic Records (Producer). (2012, August). ICP Speaks. Podcast retrieved from http://youtu.be/ vwyFjrp8lRY
Tankainian, S. (2001, September 14). Explanation of Chop Suey limited air play [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.systemofadown.com (Has since been removed)
