In 2011 the FBI tagged fans of the Insane Clown Posse (ICP), aka juggalos, as a gang. As a result, ICP fans have faced discrimination by government authorities, for example one man was denied enlistment in the US Army because his juggalo tattoo was considered a gang tattoo. ICP and the ACLU of Michigan filed suit to make the government rescind the gang designation.
But, U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland dismissed the lawsuit saying that federal government can't be blamed for any fallout from the FBI report because the gang designation was 'descriptive' and not 'prescriptive.'
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(Score: 2) by fishybell on Wednesday July 09 2014, @03:27AM
One hand isn't responsible for another hand, even when both hands see what the other half does.
(Score: 2) by Darth Turbogeek on Wednesday July 09 2014, @03:32AM
To freedon of association? Last I looked, Juggalos had a lot of people that made me cringe but overall harmless (and surprsingly, even did some good in this world) What the fuck is wrong with that?
Rather be a Juggalo than a politican any fucking day, that's for sure.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09 2014, @03:48AM
> Last I looked, Juggalos had a lot of people that made me cringe but overall harmless (and surprsingly, even did some good in this world)
It is part of the war on christians. The ICP are born again christians. [theguardian.com]
> What the fuck is wrong with that?
Fucking FBI agents, this is how they work!
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday July 09 2014, @06:51PM
Yeah, 20 years of hate speech and promotion of violence, and suddenly they decide to tell people they were Christians all along? And you bought that did you?
What about all the people who have been assaulted and even killed by their followers over those 20 years when they were keeping this convenient rationalization a secret knowing full well what was happening in the street?
Sorry, this is nothing but a self serving "jailhouse conversion", only this time it happened before they (themselves) actually made it to jail.
Besides that, isn't in the fine tradition of Soylent News, carried over from that green site, to lump all religion into the source of all the world's problems? How is a so called christian cult of mayhem and murder and different than a muslim cult of suicide bombing? Seems both the clowns and the Islamists agree on killing "sluts", they just disagree on the methods.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday July 09 2014, @05:43AM
Sometimes Federal Judges make the right call.
Apparently this isn't one of those times.
From a quick read of the article the ICP sounds like many other fan groups I've heard of.
"... painting their faces to look like clowns", just like Football, Soccer fans and Boy Scouts.
"... displaying the "hatchetman" logo and other ICP insignia on their clothing, jewelry, body art and bumper stickers." Just like Football, Soccer, NASCAR and just about every other sports fans. Oh, and also like Boy Scouts.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 3, Funny) by migz on Wednesday July 09 2014, @10:34AM
Perhaps locking up the football, soccer, and NASCAR fans would not be such a bad idea. I mean they already show such extraordinarily poor taste in hobbies. :P
(Score: 2) by etherscythe on Wednesday July 09 2014, @07:38PM
You joke, but look up the damage from what are essentially riots when certain sports teams play a match. Ignoring the whole poor taste issue, the injuries and property damage alone make a case for... well, I don't know what, but something could be done. This isn't like random idiots driving drunk, this is a centralized event directly giving rise to bad behavior. If we as a society could grow a backbone and call it for what it is (sports hysteria), we might be able to come up with a solution.
"Fake News: anything reported outside of my own personally chosen echo chamber"
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Wednesday July 09 2014, @05:53AM
Yes, f**ing magnets, how do they work? is enough to define you as a gang, since obviously there is only some primitive clan or tribal mentality at work, and not any rational social order or scientific approach to reality. Choose your music carefully. I choose Back, J.S. Bach.
(Score: 4, Informative) by SlimmPickens on Wednesday July 09 2014, @06:17AM
As an Australian, I like swigging rum and hating cops just as much as the next sheila, but the summary and TFA are both disingenuous.
This is true:
Bit this is bullshit:
Because they're not mentioning what the wikipedia and many other places do:
So now that we've identified a problem, let's try to seperate the criminals from the Juggalos instead of conflating the reasons why it's happening.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09 2014, @07:31AM
> So now that we've identified a problem, let's try to seperate the criminals from the Juggalos instead of conflating the reasons why it's happening.
I think you are the one being disingenuous. It seems clear to me that the police are focusing on a superficial characteristic because it is easy to distinguish rather than because it is informative. Not unlike "driving while black" or "flying while muslim." Both criminals and lawful citizens express their love of ICP music in the same way, and the police have attributed more meaning to that expression than is there. How is that not targeting people because of the music they like?
It isn't like an ICP tattoo is the same thing as a real gang tattoo where the gang won't let non-members wear the tattoo unmolested. Or the clown makeup - nobody is systematically beating up people who wear ICP-style clown make-up but who aren't also criminals, while a real gang will kill a non-member for wearing their colors in their territory.
(Score: 2) by SlimmPickens on Thursday July 10 2014, @12:46AM
I'm not saying it's OK, or that it's easy to fix. I'm saying let's be realistic about what's happening, which isn't persecution over music choices.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09 2014, @10:03AM
"let's try to seperate the criminals from the Juggalos"
Easy. Just use magnets.
(Score: 2) by migz on Wednesday July 09 2014, @10:31AM
One of the biggest baddest gangs around here call themselves The Americans [wikipedia.org]. They would identify themselves by dressing in stars and stripes, hanging stars and stripes bandanas from their rear-view mirrors, and drive american made cars. It would be interesting to see how this turns out.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by efitton on Wednesday July 09 2014, @02:27PM
As that gang is in South Africa I doubt this ruling will impact them or a U.S. citizen. _If_ they get a large presence in the U.S. it might be a different story, but I doubt it. Alternative music and clown makeup just isn't getting the mainstream press or attention and enough love from the audience when it is mentioned. Talk about identifying the stars and stripes with a gang and a good chunk of the country would throw a hissy fit.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by frojack on Wednesday July 09 2014, @07:03PM
The gang in south africa, like the flowers that bloom in the spring, has nothing to with the case. (Tra La).
The street violence and murders happened in the US, and also in other countries, and has been going on for 20 years, while this group continued to call for violence against "sluts".
I suggest that if ONE WORD in that song had been changed, you would be first to condemn, and screaming for an arrest based on hate speech. Change Slut to gay or black, and you would be first in line demanding prosecution.
This group knew all along what was happening in their name.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.