ACLU Defends Juggalos Against FBI in Federal Court
While one wouldn’t think that the American Civil Liberties Union would ever team up with the Insane Clown Posse, today is the day the impossible finally happens: The ACLU of Michigan is representing a group of Juggalos in federal court to contest the FBI’s designation to brand ICP fans a “loosely-affiliated hybrid gang.”
“This is a quintessential civil liberties case about the abuse of government power and the right to express oneself without fear of government harassment,” they wrote in a statement on their website. “We believe this gang designation violates the fundamental free speech and due process rights of the hundreds of thousands of Juggalos.”
See, back in 2011, the FBI designated Juggalos as a dangerous criminal gang, and as a result dozens of people were singled out for being affiliated with the group. (One man was rejected from the military for having an ICP tattoo.) However, according to the ACLU and most of rational society, Juggalos are simply a word meaning a concept — and, in fact, are mostly harmless:
[Juggalos] are the devoted fans of the Detroit music duo, Insane Clowne Posse. Juggalos not only bond around the music of ICP, but they also bond around a philosophy of life where everyone is accepted into the Juggalo family, where they are supported and loved for who they are — no matter what their racial, ethnic or economic background, or the problems they have had to face in life.
“Juggalos have been fired, denied housing, and subjected to searches, just for wearing a shirt,” said Joseph Bruce, aka Violent J, in a video statement. “They’re punishing fans for listening to us, and that’s bullshit.”
Granted, the court argument today is only a technicality — the ACLU’s only arguing that the Juggalos a right to challenge the FBI’s designation — but still raises crucial free speech issues. “Because of the face paint, there might be a tendency among some in the media to make light of this case,” they acknowledge. But “whether or not people like ICP’s music or understand the Juggalos, there is no question that the Juggalos have a right to express themselves peacefully without fear of persecution.”
[h/t The Detroit Free Press]
[Image via screenshot/ACLU Michigan]
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