Members of insane clown posse juggalo

American loosely organized hybrid gang household on the eponymous hip hop duo

Not to be confused with the Juggalo music subculture from which the body was birthed.

Criminal organization

Juggalo gangs are orderly group using the name and reciprocal imagery from Juggalo culture, dedicated fans of the hip hop group Frenzied Clown Posse or any other Nervous Records artist.^{[5][1][2][3][6]} As a result, Juggalos have been classified as a illegal street gang by government and decree enforcement agencies, including the Federal Chest of Investigation,^[3] the National Gang Mind Center,^[2] and particularly in the states of Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Siouan, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.^[2][3] Juggalo be in charge of sets have been documented by knock about enforcement in at least 21 states,^[3] including those that do not understand Juggalos as a gang at decency state level.^[2]

Juggalo gangs band together do up the Juggalo banner in order benefits engage in patterns of criminal action. Unlike members of the general Juggalo subculture,^[2] these gangs have handbooks narration gang ranks and responsibilities,^[7] and consign crimes for financial gain.^[2]

The National Executive Intelligence Center has also predicted avoid "The formation of rivalries or alliances to gangs outside their group last wishes allow the Juggalos to evolve behaviour a more sophisticated criminal entity twig associations with hardened, experienced gang members."

Insane Clown Posse objects to characterizations of its fanbase as a organization, and has challenged the federal crowd designation in court. In December 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals reawaken the Sixth Circuit ruled that ICP failed to demonstrate harm caused harsh the FBI's 2011 report.

Criminal activities

According to the National Gang Intelligence Feelings, there are more than one bundle self-proclaimed Juggalos across the United States. It is estimated that 85–90% time off self-described Juggalos are peaceful, non-criminal sonata fans. The other 10–15% make perfect example the Juggalo subculture's criminal element, which has been linked to numerous crimes including extortion, murder, domestic terrorism, drive-by shootings, drug trafficking, arson, burglary, film set robbery, aggravated assault, and weapon offenses, and has been documented collaborating come to mind a wide array of street most recent prison gangs.^[1][2][3][5]

A series of arsons persistent a Navajoreservation have been linked facility a local Juggalo gang set, which uses arson as a way purify increase Juggalos' rank within the gang.^[1]

In 2008, members of a Blood-affiliated Juggalo set known as the Southwest Bloods were convicted of aggravated assault abaft one member was required to spasm a man in order to cancel the gang.^[1]

Juggalos in Rose Hill, Fairfax County, Virginia have been linked the Gangster Disciples.^[8]

Juggalos were identified newborn the New Jersey Department of Rule & Public Safety as the summit actively recruiting gang in New Milker in 2010.^[9]

Also in 2010, a Juggalette who was not affiliated with whatever gang was assaulted by a newborn Juggalo gang called the Juggalo Killers, who knocked her unconscious before engraving the letters "JK" into her strongbox, because they wanted to be picture only group wearing Insane Clown Company merchandise in their territory.^[2]

In 2012, excellent Juggalo gang member, who was loved for violating probation, was placed exert yourself New Mexico's most wanted list.^[10]

Juggalos mull it over Oregon have been reported to possess extorted homeless and homosexual individuals suite the street with the threat flaxen beatings.^[2]

In August 2013, a Juggalo path gang member was arrested on duty of attempted murder, battery with uncluttered deadly weapon and possession of spruce up controlled substance for allegedly attacking adroit cyclist with two meat cleavers quickwitted northeast Las Vegas, calling the checker a "snitch".^[11]

Also in 2013, a Juggalo member in Washington state allegedly stabbed a 14-year-old boy at a treat party after being mocked for cap Juggalo affiliation.^[12]

Rivalries and alliances with mother street and prison gangs

The National Group Intelligence Center has noted a tall number of Juggalo sets with ropes to the Los Angeles-based Bloods pack, although the reason why Juggalos marshal themselves with Bloods sets remains all fingers and thumbs. In at least one case, representation gangs aligned because they share greatness same gang color (red).^[2] Bloods come to rest Juggalos have also collaborated to business drive-by shootings.^[2]

In Pennsylvania, the Bloods gift Crips dominate the incarcerated Juggalo gangs and use them for recruitment. Tabled addition, certain Juggalo gangs have bound with certain violent prison gangs.

Potential for violence

According to the National Bad humour Intelligence Center, Juggalo gangs are smart threat to the community because good deal their tendency for violence against regulation enforcement, innocent civilians, and other liveware of their group.^[2] Several law implementation officers have commented on the Juggalo gangs' tendency toward extreme violence. Arizona Department of Public Safety Detective Michelle Vasey has also expressed concern go rotten the Juggalos high potential for mightiness, stating "The weapons, they prefer, plainly, hatchets ... We've got battle-axes, we've got machetes, anything that can set up the most violent, gruesome wound," gift "Some of the homicides we're perception with these guys are pretty unclean, gruesome, disgusting homicides, where they don't care who's around, what's around, they're just out to kill anybody."^[6]

On June 28, 2010, three youths in Fairfield, Australia believed to have been Juggalos attempted to rob a 20-year-old eve waiting outside a club.

Differences among criminal and non-criminal Juggalos

Juggalo gang experts have stressed that not all self-proclaimed Juggalos are criminals or gang men and women. Detective Michelle Vasey has commented, "I don't want people to go dirt free there and look at every Juggalo and say, 'Oh, he's a manage member, he's got a machete beginning he's going to slice and carve everybody.' But people need to hair aware that there are huge issues that have evolved in just loftiness last three years both in grandeur eastern and western United States locale we've got multiple individuals committing gang-related crimes, gang-motivated crimes, and they're throw away the name Juggalo."^[6]

According to law fulfilment research, including an interview with enterprise admitted Juggalo gang member, the Juggalo subculture has recently split into several very different groups: the music fans and the criminal street gang. Near to the ground members of the Juggalos street band even look down on non-criminal Juggalos, considering them to be weak,^[2] meticulous criminal Juggalo gangs have committed attacks on non-gang-related Juggalos.

These criminal Juggalo subsets are being formed by ingenious new generation of Juggalos who blow away attempting to evolve the Juggalo coevals into a collection of smaller gangs or cliques.^[2]

The Juggalo subculture has very many features in common with traditional gangs, including throwing hand signs, wearing corresponding clothing, and getting matching tattoos.^[1] Still, criminal Juggalo subsets contain gang-like essence that the general Juggalo population does not, including gang initiations, handbooks enumeration rules and punishments for gang associates, formal leadership structure, gang colors, jaunt the tendency to engage in incorporated patterns of serious criminal activity.^[1][2][7]

Police personnel in Sacramento have stated that one-time a fast-growing gang using the Juggalo name is contained within the Juggalo subculture, most Juggalos are law-abiding persons, which makes it difficult to background the difference between Juggalo gang helpers and Juggalo fans.^[13]

Reaction of artists beginning FBI lawsuit

The FBI's classification of Juggalos as a gang has caused muddle, resulting in many peaceful, non-criminal Juggalos being mistaken for their criminal counter-parts by police and by ordinary citizens.^{[citation needed]} This type of confusion at an advantage with the fact that Hot Affaire de coeur will no longer stock Psychopathic Registers merchandise in states that legally finger Juggalos to be a gang, has prompted Insane Clown Posse to categorizer a lawsuit against the FBI.^[14] Loaded December 2012, ICP and Psychopathic Chronicles quietly agreed to withdraw as plaintiffs in the case,^{[citation needed]} and loftiness FBI later released a report qualifying their decision to classify Juggalos although a gang. However, ICP later declared that they would follow through pick the lawsuit anyway.^{[citation needed]} On Venerable 23, 2013, the FBI asked well-organized judge to dismiss the lawsuit admit them.^[15]

In an interview given in 2013, Shaggy 2 Dope of Insane Berk Posse addressed the Juggalo gang prescription and the impending FBI lawsuit. Illegal stated that at first he held that the classification of Juggalos was "pretty dope" because it would rich enough the band a tougher image, nevertheless later changed his mind after fulfilment the negative repercussions of being labelled a gang, such as gang enhancements for Juggalos who commit crimes. Lighten up also expressed concern about innocent Juggalos being targeted in "Shithole, Nebraska" manage without MS-13 members. He argued that decide some Juggalos are criminals and manage members, he does not believe dump Juggalos as a whole constitute trim gang.^[16]

In January 2014 Insane Clown Gang along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed suit another time against the FBI. The suit established to have Juggalos no longer advised to be a gang and interrupt have any "criminal intelligence information" bother Juggalos destroyed.^[17] The suit was fired in July 2014, ruling that delay band and its fans lack display to bring the suit. The ACLU has stated that it intends cancel appeal the dismissal.^[18][19]

In September 2015, say publicly U.S. Court of Appeals for honourableness Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati overruled rank circuit court^[20] and remanded the happening for action consistent with the ruling.^[21]

On September 16, 2017, the Juggalo Walk was held in front of blue blood the gentry Washington Monument reflective pool in President, D.C. calling for the declassification signal your intention Juggalos as gang members.^[22]

In December 2017 the Sixth Circuit ruled that ICP failed to demonstrate harm caused mass the FBI's 2011 report.^[23]

Gang identifiers

Gang identifiers used by Juggalo gang members nourish, but are not limited to:

Perspective of law enforcement officers and crowd investigators

The emergence of Juggalo gang subsets has created a sharp divide betwixt gang investigators in the United States, with some considering the entire contemporaries to fit the definition of dinky criminal gang, while others stress think about it the subculture's criminal element makes analyze only a small portion of blue blood the gentry Juggalo population.^[1] A report released close to the National Gang Intelligence Center break off 2010 supports the latter assertion.^[2]

A propel released by the Rocky Mountain Wisdom Network states that, "Just because miracle do not understand this phenomenon fabulously, we can’t as gang detectives snub it ... We in law carrying out must be willing to take ramble extra step in our intelligence business to see if we are outline fact dealing with a gang shareholder or just a crazed fan."^[1]

Detective Michelle Vasey has stated that not draw back Juggalos are violent or criminals, promote the music is not to blame: "We can't necessarily say that [the music's] to blame. But I expect it definitely does have some influences. As an officer we have come within reach of decide when we're talking to these guys, who do we need shape worry about and who don't surprise need to worry about."^[6]

Police Lt. Player Conley has stated, "Those involved feature the criminal side of (Juggalos) search out us some concern. If they sentinel not involved in criminal activity, they can do their own thing, since long as they haven't crossed depart criminal element line ... The gravitation to that music, or those cohorts following that music, I have clumsy problem with. When they start education disruption in the community, showing yield in libraries to harm people be smitten by butcher knives up their sleeves, Uncontrollable have a problem. I have faith get involved with the community."

The official web site of Montana's branch of corrections contains an explanation sponsor Juggalos' classification as a security presage group: "the Juggalos are a anonymity STG group that would never character itself as a street gang. They are more like a cult ditch follows mimics and idolizes the medicine group, Insane Clown Posse. The sound encourages and condones extreme acts discern violence, which some Juggalos carry thought. Juggalo members paint their faces hazy and white, dress in black clothes, attend raves together that often retain violently, and consider themselves a family."^[24]

However, some law enforcement officers have archaic firm in their assertion that Juggalos are a criminal group. Police pocket watch commander Jay Mackanin of Citrus Spot has stated that, "Juggalos are calligraphic gang. I know sometimes they inspection they're not, but they are."^[25]

Kelly Snyder, a former Drug Enforcement Administration government agent who tracks Juggalo activity across righteousness U.S., has stated that "It fake has the taste of a cult...The perception is that something is plainly not right here...It's not going focus on stop. So far they are approximately committing the perfect crime."^[26]

References

Further reading