Insane Clown Posse and the rap group’s diehard fans, self-described “Juggalos,” have lost the latest round in their fight to get the Department of Justice to dismiss the group’s gang designation.
A federal appeals court on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by ICP and four of its fans in response to an FBI report that labeled Juggalos “a loosely-organized hybrid gang,” setting the stage for a potential Supreme Court battle several years in the making.
The FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center included ICP fans in a 2011 report that said that some Juggalos “exhibit gang-like behavior and engage in criminal activity and violence.”
Juggalos haven’t been listed on the bi-annual report ever since, but several have complained of being harassed by local authorities simply for wearing their support on their sleeves, resulting in “hundreds if not thousands of people subjected to various forms of discrimination, harassment and profiling,” according to the rap group.
Six plaintiffs ultimately sued the FBI in 2014 over the designation, including four Juggalos and ICP’s two members, Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, known professionally as Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, respectively. They appealed after losing their challenging in District Court, paving the way for a Sixth Circuit panel to affirm that ruling on Monday this week.
Opining for the court, U.S. Circuit Judge Alice Batchelder wrote that the 2011 assessment “is merely an informational agency report,” and that authorities aren’t required to heed its findings.
Plaintiffs “failed to demonstrate that the Juggalo gang designation causes legal consequences,” the ruling said.
“The Juggalo gang designation does not result in legal consequences because it does not impose liability, determine legal rights or obligations or mandate, bind or limit other government actors,” the ruling said.
Hundreds of self-described Juggalos participated in an event held on the National Mall in September protesting the FBI’s designation.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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