In a battle of the acronyms, the Insane Clown Posse (ICP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are teaming up to sue the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In 2011, the FBI filed a report labeling Juggalos–ICP fans–as a “a loosely organized hybrid gang.” ICP have sued once before, but now they’re bringing out the big guns.
In a lawsuit filed jointly with the ACLU and four individual juggalos who say they’ve suffered law enforcement harassment for their affiliation with the group, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope argue that “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.”
“However,” they add, “it is wrong to designate the entire group of supporters as a criminal gang based on the acts of a few. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened here.”
Check out some beautiful photos of Juggalos–generally a peaceable people, in my experience as a suburban Maryland high school studen in the mid-aughts–here.
(Photo: Rex Roof/Flickr)
