Wearing piercings and horror makeup, a thousand fans of controversial US rap group Insane Clown Posse on Saturday descended on Washington, alleging discrimination since the FBI labeled them gang members in a 2011 report.
With its extravagantly dressed participants, many adorned with tattoos and piercings, the “Juggalo March” was an offbeat addition to the regular political rallies staged in the capital.
Saturday also saw a right-wing demonstration by supporters of US President Donald Trump, dubbed the “Mother of All Rallies,” as well as a left-wing protest by a group called “Protect American Democracy” against alleged Russian interference in last year’s election.
Photo: AP
The introduction of the third event was seen as potentially adding fuel to an already combustible mix — although apart from a brief interruption of the pro-Trump rally by Black Lives Matter activists, all three demonstrations came off without major incident.
Assembling near the Lincoln Memorial, the “Juggalos,” as they are known, spoke of the difficulties they have faced since the FBI’s decision: losing jobs, custody of their children and excessive police attention.
“We do our things. Live and let live man, I’m a regular citizen, I pay my taxes,” said Scott Creel, an imposing figure with a long beard who was pierced from head to toe and who had traveled from Arkansas.
Participants took to the stage in turns to denounce the FBI’s decision, interrupted by chants of “family” and rap performances.
“Some juggalos may have been as individuals part of gangs, but they were not in a juggalo gang,” protester Rob Sinning from New Jersey said, adding: “We work hard, we clown hard.”
The term Juggalo is derived from the lyrics of one of the band’s songs. Founded in Detroit in 1989 by duo Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, Insane Clown Posse performs a brand of hip-hop known as “horrorcore,” which is influenced by supernatural themes and violent horror movie imagery.
The band has sold millions of records despite a lack of exposure on national television or radio. Fans are known for their esoteric behavior, sometimes wearing clown makeup in homage to the band, as well as chains or tattoos featuring a silhouetted man running with a hatchet.
Many profess a love for Faygo, a little known soft drink that is also produced in Detroit.
In a 2011 report, the FBI classified Juggalos as a “loosely organized hybrid gang” — which are defined as having a nebulous structure or being mixed-gender and multi-ethnic.
The group is said to have a strong presence in the Midwest, but the report said it was expanding in New Mexico “because they are attracted to the tribal and cultural traditions of the Native Americans.”
Many come from lower-income families, but being a follower of the group gives them a sense of belonging and purpose.
“These people come from broken homes, split families, drugs, poverty, discrimination and they found an outlet to come together,” said Scott Donihoo, who runs a Web site dedicated to the movement. “We identify with this music because it literally saved our lives in one form or another.”
Gay rights activist Logan Wolfe said he was bullied as a child, but found acceptance with the group, since “Juggalos are more accepting than the rest of society,” and, he proudly added, a beauty pageant for “Juggalettes” — female Juggalos — featured a transgender contestant.
In months, Lo Yuet-ping would bid farewell to a centuries-old village he has called home in Hong Kong for more than seven decades. The Cha Kwo Ling village in east Kowloon is filled with small houses built from metal sheets and stones, as well as old granite buildings, contrasting sharply with the high-rise structures that dominate much of the Asian financial hub. Lo, 72, has spent his entire life here and is among an estimated 860 households required to move under a government redevelopment plan. He said he would miss the rich history, unique culture and warm interpersonal kindness that defined life in
AERIAL INCURSIONS: The incidents are a reminder that Russia’s aggressive actions go beyond Ukraine’s borders, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said Two NATO members on Sunday said that Russian drones violated their airspace, as one reportedly flew into Romania during nighttime attacks on neighboring Ukraine, while another crashed in eastern Latvia the previous day. A drone entered Romanian territory early on Sunday as Moscow struck “civilian targets and port infrastructure” across the Danube in Ukraine, the Romanian Ministry of National Defense said. It added that Bucharest had deployed F-16 warplanes to monitor its airspace and issued text alerts to residents of two eastern regions. It also said investigations were underway of a potential “impact zone” in an uninhabited area along the Romanian-Ukrainian border. There
A French woman whose husband has admitted to enlisting dozens of strangers to rape her while she was drugged on Thursday told his trial that police had saved her life by uncovering the crimes. “The police saved my life by investigating Mister Pelicot’s computer,” Gisele Pelicot told the court in the southern city of Avignon, referring to her husband — one of 51 of her alleged abusers on trial — by only his surname. Speaking for the first time since the extraordinary trial began on Monday, Gisele Pelicot, now 71, revealed her emotion in almost 90 minutes of testimony, recounting her mysterious
The governor of Ohio is to send law enforcement and millions of dollars in healthcare resources to the city of Springfield as it faces a surge in temporary Haitian migrants. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Tuesday said that he does not oppose the Temporary Protected Status program under which about 15,000 Haitians have arrived in the city of about 59,000 people since 2020, but said the federal government must do more to help affected communities. On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost directed his office to research legal avenues — including filing a lawsuit — to stop the federal government from sending
RSS