INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Juggalos Unite: Insane Clown Posse Planning March On Washington To Protest Juggalo Gang Designation, Could Attract Tens Of Thousand Of Followers

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 07:42 PST, Jul 25, 2016

The Insane Clown Posse is planning a massive March on Washington, D.C., bringing thousands of face-painted fans known as Juggalos to the nation’s capital as part of the group’s lingering battle with the FBI.

The Detroit rap duo, who gained fame in the 1990s for their violent lyrics, had filed a lawsuit against the FBI after the agency deemed its groups of fans a “loosely organized hybrid gang” after a series of arrests and incidents involving the Juggalos.

The ICP’s suit was thrown out in 2014, and the FBI’s designation remained until Insane Clown Posse won an appeal last year that allowed them to continue the lawsuit.

“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,” Insane Clown Posse said in a statement praising the court victory (via Esquire).

But there is still more work for the rap group to do in order to completely clear the Juggalos, with the suit still moving forward.

The Insane Clown Posse had noted in the past that the gang designation was more than a simple inconvenience. In a statement accompanying the appeal win last year, the group noted that some members faced “job losses, dismissal from military service, eviction, lost child custody and constant harassment and profiling from law enforcement organizations all across the country.”

The National Gang Threat Assessment noted in its assessment of the fan base that “Juggalo criminal activity has increased over the past several years and has expanded to several other states. Transient, criminal Juggalo groups pose a threat to communities due to the potential for violence, drug use/sales, and their general destructive and violent nature.”

But the Insane Clown Posse is now planning a major action against the FBI, calling on Juggalos to come together in September of next year for a massive march on Washington. The group made the announcement at the annual Gathering of the Juggalos, a multi-day music festival that this year was held in Thornville, Ohio.

The Juggalo March on Washington is scheduled for September 16, 2017.

“In 2017, the weekend of Sept. 17, we need you. We’re gonna do a (expletive) march on Washington,” ICP member Violent J told fans (via the Detroit News). “They call the Juggalo World a movement, right? Well, let’s move!”

The march will also include a free concert in nearby Bristow, Virginia, and a picnic for fans the next day, the group.

The story generated plenty of attention, with plans for the march overshadowing the group’s concert. The group also shared news about the march with fans on Twitter.

It’s not clear how much more planning has gone into the march. In revealing the plans to fans, Violent J noted that he and the group’s other member, Shaggy 2 Dope, weren’t sure just how well it would be received.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Violent J said. “We could totally embarrass ourselves, and there could be 25 people (that show up).”

But the Juggalo March on Washington could have a precedent. The annual Gathering of the Juggalos has now reached its 17th year, a largely successful underground music festival that has been headlined by Insane Clown Posse and features a number of rap and rock groups.

The festival takes a high level of coordination and has taken place in a number of locations across the country, with next year’s event being held in Colorado. The largest of these drew 20,000 people, a sign that the March on Washington being planned by Insane Clown Posse could have a potentially large attendance.

[Photo by Carlos Osorio/AP Images]

Share this article: Juggalos Unite: Insane Clown Posse Planning March On Washington To Protest Juggalo Gang Designation, Could Attract Tens Of Thousand Of Followers
More from Inquisitr