The Juggalos have some fight left in them! We see you Aurora!
Is the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals down with the clown? It appears so after reversing an earlier ruling saying the Insane Clown Posse, also known by the performer’s stage names Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, wouldn’t be allowed their day in court to pull the “Juggalo” name from the FBI’s gang list released in 2011.
Whoop whoop!
The lawsuit (seen here), filed in 2014 by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, was submitted after the act said the FBI violated their fans’ First Amendment rights, claiming supporters of the group were subjected to police harassment, loss of jobs and even being dismissed from the military by falsely being labeled as gang members.
“We don’t know if we can beat the FBI,” Violent J once said about the designation, “but we’re damn sure not gonna sit here and accept it.”
The complaint lists, among other things, that the “Plaintiffs seek a declaration that designating the Juggalos as a gang or 'hybrid gang' is unlawful. They also seek an order under the APA removing the Juggalos from the DOJ’s gang list and enjoining Defendants from taking action in the future that would brand Juggalos, as a group, as a criminal gang based on the actions of a relatively few people who may identify as Juggalos..”
Using the FBI’s logic, and following along with its “loosely organized hybrid gang” theory — we could easily apply it to any other social group in the nation. “Bros,” “High School Athletics” … hell even women that celebrate "Ladies' Night," any one of these groups are going to have specific problems with people who identify in a particular way, but blaming the entire lot for the actions of a few is a pretty shady practice — even for a gang as crappy as the FBI. We're gonna side with the Juggalos on this account — like we ALWAYS do! Whoop, Whoop — we see you Aurora, CO!
Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope released the following statement about the reversal via their website:
“We’re thankful that the Juggalo family will finally get their day in court. Discrimination against someone based solely upon the type of music they listen to is just flat out wrong and it’s time that the legal system acknowledges that. The FBI’s labeling of Juggalos as a gang has wreaked havoc on thousands of lives, resulting in job losses, dismissal from military service, eviction, lost child custody and constant harrassment and profiling from law enforcement organizations all across the country. We thank our incredible legal team and the ACLU of Michigan for standing up for the rights of Juggalos and we can’t wait to get back in that courtroom and fight to clear our family name. To all Juggalos … thank you for standing strong with us in this battle and MUCH CLOWN LOVE! WHOOP WHOOP!”
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