FBI Considers Juggalos, Fans Of Insane Clown Posse, A Gang In Annual Report

The FBI is monitoring a growing gang with members across the country who dress in customary colors, assemble for rowdy annual meetings and control the trade of an obscure Midwestern soft drink. They are Juggalos.

In a report on emerging gang trends, federal investigators revealed that they have their eyes on the loyal fans of the horrorcore group Insane Clown Posse.

Known as Juggalos, the followers of the Detroit rap act are famous for their clownish make-up, annual "Gathering of the Juggalos" celebration and their love for the soda Faygo.

But Juggalo "subsets exhibit gang-like behavior and engage in criminal activity and violence," the FBI alleges in a document first reported by Wired.

Per the FBI's National Gang Threat Assessment:

Most crimes committed by Juggalos are sporadic, disorganized, individualistic, and often involve simple assault, personal drug use and possession, petty theft, and vandalism. However, open source reporting suggests that a small number of Juggalos are forming more organized subsets and engaging in more gang-like criminal activity, such as felony assaults, thefts, robberies, and drug sales.

Described as "a loosely-organized hybrid gang" that is "rapidly expanding into many US communities," criminal subsets of Juggalos are active in more than 20 states, according to the document, which also details more notorious gangs like the Crips, Bloods and MS-13.

Juggalos are making significant inroads in New Mexico "primarily because they are attracted to the tribal and cultural traditions of the Native Americans residing nearby," the report indicates.

Investigators believe "Juggalo criminal activity has increased over the past several years," but many Juggalos insist they are linked by music and community -- not criminality.

"Juggalo family is for people that don't belong," Tulsa Juggalo Jesse Brown told Fox 23 last year. "It just fits. It's part of life it's how you live."

Some Juggalos are even trying to change the public's perception of their group.

"[W]e are planning ways to get cops not to see us [J]uggalo as a gang," wrote the moderator of the Facebook page "Juggalos are NOT a gang" in July. "[W]e are family whoop whoop."

LEARN MORE ABOUT INSANE CLOWN POSSE AND JUGGALOS:

Comments

[Don Dave Nut HRCC]

03:22 PM on 12/24/2011

I will say this straight out. I am a JUGGALO....... And yes like anybody else there are juggalos that give everyone a bad name. I am a part of the Hatchet Rydas Car Club and we are about giving back. Toys for tots any chairity we can help out with. It dont matter if the FBI wants to check into me i dont care. I know who i am and what my club does. I will never change who i am because they think that we are a gang. we are not a gang we are family. just like any family we have people that dont live by all laws but all we can do is prove to them that we are not a gang and we are here to do good. we got chapters all over the US if anyone wants to join up and help out check out www.hatchetrydas.com and email anyone of the dons if you have any questions. Much Clown Love

[omgnoway]

09:04 AM on 12/01/2011

I think this whole thing is ridiculous. Just because some people claiming to be juggalos commit crimes, doesn't mean that it's a gang. It's a completely ridiculous accusation. I have never commited a crime in my life nor do the lyrics make me want to. If anyone think that these lyrics influenced someone to commit a crime, then you're just stupid and gullible. What if yankees fans started commiting crimes, would all yankees fans be considered a gang? Nope. It's a subculture not a gang. In every group there are crazies and people who take things literally. The sad thing is, is that no matter what, people will view them as violent trash. So do we now have to watch our backs if we want to blast a Twiztid song out the car, or wear a hatchetman chain? I hope not, but I'll wear mine anyway.

[lotusfam]

06:54 AM on 11/30/2011

i wish half the nations juggalos would just stop trying to explaine them self's to people that wont understand the ethic's of a ninja because they have not had the experience with the family like we had to fully understand something you would need to have a positive interest in and not something to point and stare at, because people have absolutely nothing to do except watch american idol.

[lotusfam]

06:48 AM on 11/30/2011

Oh No! ninjas their on to us ! load the faygo cannons , and make sure to paint up first cause thats what makes us juggalos right?

[Melody Helton]

02:52 PM on 11/15/2011

Juggalos are not a gang! Their simply family who has each others back when no one else does. Law enforcement just think their all a gang because of what we represent, but their wrong. WHOOP WHOPP

[j fletcher86]

05:42 AM on 11/14/2011

Ok here's the deal- Government propaganda.
I started listening to ICP when I was 8 years old. I'm not too much into it anymore, but I have album covers tattooed on my forearms.
That's like saying EVERYONE who listens to a certain type of music is "gang-related" or EVERYONE who likes a group and goes to shows does those illegal activities. Stereotype much?
PEOPLE- Open your mind before your mouth.
It's hilarious to me because the worst crime I commit now a days is going over the speed limit or jay walking. I've done my fair share of ignorant teenager activity, then again who hasn't?
I'm not sticking up for Insane Clown Posse or fellow Juggalo's/Juggalette's; because if we know one thing it's how to hold our own. Society and people fear what they do not understand.
And this is a prime example of that.
This establishment fears what could be the next thing and will dumb all of you down by telling you that YOUR in danger and how WE ARE the ignorant ones and that WE ARE dangerous.
Some of the kindest people I've ever met are Juggalo's and Juggalette's.
Disagree or agree it's all perspective. I know my side and what I believe to be true. Do you?
One last view of mine- If you judge an entire group of people by a few of their actions, does that make them all guilty? Decide.

[Melody Helton]

03:02 PM on 11/15/2011

I totally agree with you. Not all of the Juggalos and Juggalettes are bad people. I'd honestly have to say i'm engaged to one and all of our homies got our back. Were not bad people. Yeah maybe some of us Juggalos or Juggalettes may have done something wrong in the past, but dont judge our entire group because were not all guilty like you may think we are.

[Don Dave Nut HRCC]

03:27 PM on 12/24/2011

Even though your not into it much anymore that deserves a whoop whoop. Thats what it is about family.

[dbrett480]

07:04 PM on 11/11/2011

This isn't news. Local law enforcement agencies have been considering the Juggalos a gang because they are one. They are a group that uses a common symbol or name and whose sole purpose is to engage in criminal activity.

[Nathaniel Calloway]

07:07 PM on 11/04/2011

Why are all the HP "anchors" 12 year olds? It makes it hard to take the news serious; as if it wasn't hard enough as it as since AOL took over.

[Seth Bartosik]

12:44 PM on 11/03/2011

This really irks me, I was down in seventh grade and I still am. When preists or teachers rape students we dont classify them as a gang, they even wear the same style of clothing. As a group of "misfits" it should be obvious that we're going to have problems within us. They even took some of the most violent looking pictures for the news captions. At this very instant, I look more like a hipster than anything else, but I'm a juggalo. The people around me will tell you that I wouldn't hurt a fly unless I needed to. Typical judgement...

[Steven Carline]

08:22 PM on 11/01/2011

This isn't the first instance of people being influenced by music, rather it be preforming violence or smoking a fatty and hugging a tree. The issue here is the numbers and similarity. Put quite bluntly, Say you like faygo on a cd and suddenly they all drink faygo. Say you have little regard for law enforcement and enjoy doing things against the law and....well you can see where I am going with this. The clothes, the face painting, even beverage preference. Maybe If I was 5 years old I might believe the morons who group themselves as juggalos aren't capable of pushing it a bit farther.

[Six Gator]

02:52 PM on 11/01/2011

s.e.a.l.g.s.e.o.!

[NotBetterThanYou]

01:44 AM on 11/01/2011

This is just one of the dangerous and violent gangs affiliated to a particular musician or band that the law enforcement agencies need to crack down on.

In my neighbourhood the it's mostly the Beleibers who commit all the crimes. They frighten the old ladies, steal from houses and mug the unwary, all with their trademark hate-fringes and blaring Justin Bieber music. Simply terrifying.

There are many other such gangs too. One of my friends was put in hospital for trying to intervene in an armed street battle between fans of Elton John and their ABBA counterparts. Another was once forced at knife-point to listen to Lady Gaga for more than four hours. I've even heard of terrible violence done by elderly afficinados of Acker Bilk.

The music-related violence must end!

[tomdeets]

05:28 PM on 10/31/2011

i'm not a juggalo, far from it. but i will admit i actually do kind of like icp. what can i say? they have some good songs.

[Damon G]

09:28 AM on 10/31/2011

The only connection these fools have to the Native Americans is that they like the same drugs.

[LivelyLexie]

08:40 AM on 10/31/2011

I find this hilarious. More hilarious is the fact that "juggalos" exist. I can't believe Insane Clown Posse is still around and that they have fans.