Recent news that has been in the headlines has caught my attention. It seems that Juggalos and Juggalettes have been categorized by the police as gangs, criminals, and people who should be paid attention to. This caught my attention because I am a Juggalette and I find this outrageous.
For those of you who are not familiar with Insane Clown Posse and don’t know what a Juggalo and Juggalette is, let me inform you. Insane Clown Posse is, to say the least, a controversial rap-rock group and Juggalos & Juggalettes are their fans. Starting in 1991, ICP (Insane Clown Posse) has been the center of criticism and ridicule, yet their success without having much radio play, is amazing.
Their die hard fans are also under criticism, but this time, it’s by the police. The FBI claimed in a report that Juggalos are a ‘loosely-organized hybrid gang’ and their crimes are “sporadic”. In recent years, crimes committed by Juggalos and their reputation have grown with reports of teen fans of ICP being arrested for acts of violence, drugs and wounding others.
Sure, some Juggalos do go a little far and hurt others, and sure, ICP’s music contains explicit material, but that doesn’t mean the crimes are committed because they’re fans of ICP. I’m a Juggalette, and I’m not in a gang, and neither are plenty of other Juggalos. The fact that the FBI would categorize ALL Juggalos as criminals, when less the 50% of them even commit crimes, is absolutely ridiculous.
“Juggalos are as much of a gang as the Kiss Army,” said Senior Frankie Wood. “Sure there are fights and other crazy stuff going on at the concerts, but it definitely isn’t gang related. I’ve been to an Insane Clown Posse concert, and it was great! Everyone there is just there to have a good time, make some new friends and hang with the ‘family’.”
After a few days of the FBI’s report of Juggalos, more than 400 people signed a petition asking the FBI to reverse their decision. Categorizing a large amount of people as something their not, just because of what music they like, and what some other people who listen to that music do, is wrong.
