FBI: Insane Clown Posse Has No Standing to Sue Over Juggalo Gang Classification

In January, Detroit horrorcore rappers Insane Clown Posse (ICP)
filed a civil lawsuit over the FBI’s classification of their fans
as a “hybrid gang.” Now FBI lawyers are trying to get the suit
dismissed because, according to Justice Department attorney Amy
Powell, “there
is no general right of protection to a social
association.” 

The suit, filed with the help of the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, alleges that
local law enforcement has been using the FBI’s
2011 “National Gang Threat Assessment” to profile and detain
the fans of ICP, commonly known as Juggalos.

From the Associated Press:

Some fans, called Juggalos, claim to have lost custody of
children, lost jobs and been denied housing simply because they
enjoy the music of the duo from the Detroit area. Another fan was
told he couldn’t apply to the Army without removing or covering
Insane Clown Posse tattoos, usually a man running with a
hatchet.

Justice Department attorney Amy Powell said the group and its
fans have no standing to sue. She said the government is not
responsible for how police agencies use information in the 2011
national gang report.

But when the government classifies Juggalos as a gang, they are
really criminalizing the poor and disenfranchised. Reason TV
traveled to Cave-In-Rock, Ill., to meet these music fans in person
in Juggalos
vs. the FBI: Why Insane Clown Posse Fans are Not a
Gang: