Shaggy 2 Dope Discusses the upcoming Juggalo March on Washington with Alternative Press

In an article posted by Alternative Press they’re calling “Juggalos for justice: Insane Clown Posse talk about their upcoming march on Washington” they got the chance to speak with one half of the Insane Clown Posse, Shaggy 2 Dope about the upcoming Juggalo March on Washington.

There’s not a whole lot of information in the article that we haven’t heard but it’s dope seeing the situation explained by Shaggy. He goes over the fact that when the gang label was first applied they didn’t think it was that big of a deal until all the negative stories from Juggalos came pouring in. After that, they knew they wanted to bring attention to it but they didn’t want to just put out videos or record tracks about it. They knew the mainstream media didn’t give a shit about that stuff. Finally they decided the best way to have their voice heard is by gathering the Juggalos in the masses and marching on Washington, DC.

Which is what is happening 3 days from now, ninjas. September 16th, 2017.

You can check out the full article by CLICKING HERE or check that out below.

Props to Philip Trapp.

Juggalos for justice: Insane Clown Posse talk about their upcoming march on Washington

Can you imagine being labeled a gang member because of the music you like? Or getting singled out by law enforcement for having a tattoo of your favorite band? That’s the civil rights issue currently facing infamous horrorcore duo Insane Clown Posse and their close-knit legion of fans, known as Juggalos.

In 2011, the FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center listed Juggalos as “a loosely organized hybrid gang” in a threat assessment profile, as reported by the Guardian. Since then, attempts to overturn that classification (spearheaded by the group’s label, Psychopathic Records, and backed by groups of Juggalos represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan) have been thrown out twice in court. Unable to find justice through the judicial process, ICP and thousands of Juggalos are taking the matter to the streets: The Juggalo March On Washington will take place Saturday, Sept. 16, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

“There’s people losing their kids in custody battles for being Juggalos, people getting denied military access, people getting fired,” says Shaggy 2 Dope, one-half of ICP along with fellow rapper Violent J. “When it first popped off in 2011, being officially listed as a gang by the FBI, we weren’t thinking about any repercussions from it. But after a year or so, we were hearing all these terrible stories from fans out on the road. And not just, like, one or two people—multiple people every day. We keep hearing all this crazy shit that’s going on because of it.”

Part of the FBI’s rationale for labeling Juggalos a gang seemingly stems from fans’ frequent display of the “Hatchetman” logo, the iconic emblem of ICP and their record label. The Hatchetman mascot is often tattooed on Juggalos or emblazoned on official Psychopathic Records clothing. One ICP fan in Fredericksburg, Virginia, serving probation for a DUI offense, was listed as a gang member by her probation officer simply for the presence of the Hatchetman tattoo on her neck, as reported by DCist.

“We could put out a video or a record about it, but is the mainstream or anybody else going to pay attention to that?”

“We were like, ‘Fuck this, we’ll file a lawsuit,’” Shaggy tells Alternative Press of the group’s initial pushback to Juggalos’ gang classification. “If we don’t do something about this, who the fuck is going to?” But after years of justice system dismissals, ICP are ready to make the case for their fans in the most visible way possible. “What’s the best way to be heard?” asks Shaggy. “Yeah, we could put out a video or a record about it, but is the mainstream or anybody else going to pay attention to that? So, we’re like, what if we do a march on Washington? Isn’t that how everybody protests the disadvantages to their cause?”

“We got to stand up and do something about this,” Shaggy continues. “And a lot of people are calling it a publicity stunt, and we’re like, ‘Damn right, it is.’ Not to sell anything, but we’re trying to get as much publicity as possible to tell motherfuckers that we ain’t a fucking gang. We’re people just like you.” Muddying the waters, however, are certain, self-proclaimed Juggalos who do engage in crime. As reported by ABC News, numerous individuals involved with gang-related murders and other illegal acts have identified themselves as Juggalos.

Shaggy bristles at the connection: “Are there gang members that pump our shit and claim to be Juggalos? Of course there are. Does that represent every single fucking Juggalo in America? Not even close. If someone commits mass murder that listens to Willie Nelson, are all Willie Nelson fans a gang? It’s like calling Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters a gang.”

“If someone commits mass murder that listens to Willie Nelson, are all Willie Nelson fans a gang?”

Shaggy has a point. Is it not negligent to make a categorical assumption that violent offenders’ attachment to a particular musical artist designates that artists’ entire fanbase a crime organization? The late-’60s Tate/LaBianca murders, committed by the Manson Family under the instruction of Charles Manson, somehow took influence from the notorious cult leader’s delusional love of the Beatles. Manson termed his cult’s misguided apocalyptic prophecy “Helter Skelter,” after the Beatles’ White Album song of the same name. It’s hard to imagine law enforcement officials labeling all Beatles fans as Manson Family cult members.

Shaggy admits that the FBI probably won’t act to overturn Juggalos’ gang classification because of the Juggalo March. Still, he knows that ICP and Juggalos must make their voices heard and protest their law enforcement association with gangs. “It would be nice to get a letter from the FBI saying that they’re acknowledging that we’re not a gang,” Shaggy says. “It’d be great, but the chances of that happening are slim to none. This is just us standing up, the Juggalos standing up and being, like, ‘Yo, fuck you, too. We’re in this bitch and we ain’t a fucking gang.’”

“We’re in this bitch and we ain’t a fucking gang.”

 



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