Here is a little update on the ICP vs FBI lawsuit stemming from Juggalos being labeled as a gang. The FBI has asked a judge to dismiss the Insane Clown Posse’s Juggalo gang lawsuit. They stated in their motion to dismiss that they have turned over all pertinent records in two separate releases.
A trial in the case was not expected to begin until May 2014. No date is scheduled for a hearing on the FBI’s summary judgment motion.
You can read the full article regarding this below.
FLINT, MI — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed over its labeling the fans of the band the Insane Clown Posse as gang members.
The FBI filed a motion for summary disposition Friday, Aug. 23, after the Insane Clown Posse and its Bloomfield Hills-based law firm, Hertz Schram, filed a lawsuit in September 2012 in Flint U.S. District Court demanding the FBI turn over information that led the agency to list the band’s fans — known as Juggalos — as a gang.
The lawsuit claims the band asked the FBI through an Aug. 24 Freedom of Information Act request filed by an attorney from Hertz Schram for information regarding the investigation that led to the Juggalos being listed as a gang in the National Gang Intelligence Center’s 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment Emerging Trends report.
However, the FBI argues in its motion to dismiss, which was filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, that the bureau turned over all pertinent records in two separate releases.
FBI spokesperson Simon Shaykhet declined to comment on the motion.
The FBI claims that it reviewed 63 pages of records and released 62 of them on Dec. 6, 2012, and reviewed 93 more pages of records before releasing 40 pages of them on Jan. 30.
Attorney Howard Hertz from Hertz Schram and ICP members could not be reached for comment. No response has been filed in response to the motion.
The band’s request specifically sought information related to certain passages of the 2011 report that referred to the Juggalos as a “loosely-organized hybrid gang” and that they “exhibit gang-like behavior and engage in criminal activity and violence.”
The documents released by the FBI contained numerous media reports of Juggalo-related violence and heavily redacted communications between the FBI and local law enforcement authorities.
Intra-agency communications, names of law enforcement personnel and documents that included potentially confidential law enforcement information were either redacted or not included in the releases, according to court records.
The Oakland County-based band has defended its followers since its inclusion in the 2011 report.
“We are not a gang! We are a family!” an expletive-laden statement released by the band following the filing of the lawsuit said. “We come together for our luv of the Insane Clown Posse, Psychopathic Records, and our Juggalo pride.”
A trial in the case was not expected to begin until May 2014. No date is scheduled for a hearing on the FBI’s summary judgment motion.
Faygoluvers Comments
Guest
Comment posted on Monday, August 26th, 2013 08:18 pm GMT -5 at 8:18 pm
The basic mechanics of this situation are lost on most people. Of course there are Juggalo gang sects and some aspects of Juggalo lifestyle ape gang culture. That’s obvious. You don’t have to distance yourself from the words “gang member” as far as possible, that would contradict some of the great lyrics that ICP/PSY have put out over the years. The point is: Just because you are a Juggalo you are not instantly a gang member. That should be obvious. If Johnny Noname likes ICP but does nothing eles gang related, then he is not in a gang. That’s the meat and potatoes of this. To deny Juggalo gangs at all is just as ignorant. The shit is out there. That said, Congrats on the legal win.
Barocko Jenkings
Comment posted on Monday, August 26th, 2013 08:54 pm GMT -5 at 8:54 pm
WHOOP WHOOP
ScottieD
Comment posted on Monday, August 26th, 2013 08:57 pm GMT -5 at 8:57 pm
I don’t think this is a legal win at all. The FBI just gave Psychopathic’s lawyers what they were asking for. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t still classified as a gang. I hope they can take what was given to them and still pursue the removal of the term Juggalo off of the gang list.
Also, you can be a good human, consider yourself a Juggalo, get into some kind of legal situation (ie: custody battle, argument with a police officer, etc) and it can automatically be escalated because of a hatchetman tattoo, or vinyl sticker on your car. THAT’s the extent of the situation that they’re fighting for. It is a BIG problem, and I hope they stick to their word when they say they’ll go down fighting.
wonka69
Comment posted on Monday, August 26th, 2013 09:32 pm GMT -5 at 9:32 pm
Lawsuit been shit since day one! psy. working the free publicity angle.
scarface scrappy
Comment posted on Monday, August 26th, 2013 11:10 pm GMT -5 at 11:10 pm
A bunch of u are talking like lil’ sheep: “us TRUE LOS” yadayadayda llal! You arnt anyboby in any way to say what a TRUE LO is or isn’t! People make mistakes period! And as far as the “oh we love jesus” shit, fuck off with all that! Not all of us do, people are all diffrent, so take it as that with face value. Quit your lil kid bitchin’ you sound retarded. We not a gang because we’re not period, anyone who thinks so is stupid. If you really know the workings of a gang and you say we are, you need to go back to your lil piggy school cuz your fuckin wrong
scarface scrappy
Comment posted on Monday, August 26th, 2013 11:12 pm GMT -5 at 11:12 pm
And thank you wonka! 100% true!
Guest
Comment posted on Tuesday, August 27th, 2013 07:28 am GMT -5 at 7:28 am
Thanks for clearing that detail up ScottieD, I knew it wasn’t the major win, but I did think this was some kind of victory. A lot of the legal stuff is lost on me. Carry on, I see victory on the horizon.
SCROB
Comment posted on Tuesday, August 27th, 2013 08:28 am GMT -5 at 8:28 am
Meanwhile the Anarchy symbol as well as “99%” have been declared gang symbols.
http://my.firedoglake.com/kitoconnell/2013/08/22/99-gang-signs/
It has also been proposed multiple times to declare gangs terrorists and anti terrorist laws and technology are used daily against non terrorist organized crime, which according, to the FBI Juggalos are part of (despite being disorganized).
So now anyone can be declared a gang member or a terrorist. As such a person you can be locked away and tortured without anyone given any notice, no lawyer, no right to defend yourself, thanks to Obama signing the NDAA on New Year’s eve while everyone was partying.
There will be new symbols added to this list every year until wearing a shirt with anything but a main party symbol or mega corporation logo makes you a terrorist.
Even parody logos, such as a parody version of the NSA logo can get your little print shop in trouble.
http://www.wnd.com/2013/08/nsa-crushes-free-speech-on-t-shirts/
This misuse of laws, officially intended for different cases, makes work for the feds a lot easier. The higher the number of people on gang or terrorist lists, the easier court cases can be won or avoided in the first place.
If Juggalos get to return from gang members to citizens, any other falsely accused group will try so too, thereby making their work harder. That’s why they won’t allow it to happen.
Stargazer
Comment posted on Tuesday, August 27th, 2013 12:25 pm GMT -5 at 12:25 pm
this is stupid, I for one have never committed a gang like crime or activity yet I am a juggalaut…so the FBI can quit listing me as a gang member for this…didn’t know it was a crime to love dark music, Faygo, and the ICP band
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