Yesterday was the big day for Insane Clown Posse fans to march! Back in January, Insane Clown Posse announced they would be organizing a huge Juggalo march. The march is in response to a 2011 FBI report that classified Insane Clown Posse fans, affectionately known as juggalos, as a “loosely organized hybrid gang.”. Insane Clown Posse has been trying to sue the FBI over the classification for years, but it keeps getting thrown out of court. So they took their battle to D.C..
There was one potential problem. The rally was to compete with a political rally titled “The Mother of All Rallies” where "participants demand protection for traditional American culture while they express their love for the United States and the America First agenda."
While our initial report suggested that over 7,000 people RSVP'd to “The Mother of All Rallies,” USA Today reports "perhaps only 1,000" showed up, with CBS labeling the Trump rally a "smaller crowd."
There were no reports of arrests, and USA Today had a brief recap of the speeches at the Juggalo rally:
The Juggalo rally began with a series of testimonials from people who said they had their children taken from them or lost their jobs, among other incidents, because they had Juggalo tattoos or attended Juggalo concerts.
"No one will hire me because of the music I listen to," Jessica Bonometti told the crowd. She said she'd been fired from her job as a parole officer in Virginia because of her Juggalo association.
Farris Haddad, a lawyer for the Juggalos, said the group was in D.C. "to clear our name!" He said the FBI would be a laughing stock if they tried to blacklist other music fans like punk rockers or Grateful Dead fans.
"No big deal America, it's only juggalos right?" But "who's next?" Haddad asked.
Brooklyn Vegan's Amanda Hatfield also attended the event, who reported:
Onlookers hoping to witness a spectacle of violence and bad behavior at Saturday’s march, however, left disappointed. Juggalos greeted friends as family (the sense of community in the group is real, and strong; chants of “family, family” punctuated the air all day); some brought children and pets. I saw Juggalos of all ages, races, and gender presentations, and even wheelchair-using Juggalos weren’t left behind.
So not only did the Juggalo march turn out to be an empowering event with countless displays of solidarity, it was clear that yes, the FBI labeling Juggalos as a “gang” is a massive injustice.
Amanda also captured some incredible photos of the march. I highly recommend heading over to Brooklyn Vegan to view the entire slideshow. Here are a few of our favorites:
Photo by Amanda Hatfield / Brooklyn Vegan
Photo by Amanda Hatfield / Brooklyn Vegan
Photo by Amanda Hatfield / Brooklyn Vegan
Photo by Amanda Hatfield / Brooklyn Vegan
