Insane Clown Posse Plans 'Juggalo March' On Washington DC
DETROIT (WWJ) - Calling all Juggalos -- and everyone "who believes that freedom and the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are damn good things" -- the Insane Clown Posse is asking for your help.
The Detroit-based rap duo is planning a "Juggalo March" in Washington D.C. on September 16 to protest the FBI and Department of Justice for listing Juggalos as a "loosely organized hybrid gang" in their 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment report.
"The Juggalo Family must truly shine and show America and the world that we are not a gang, public menace, cult, or any of the other untrue labels they have attempted to slap on us throughout the years," reads the official website for the Juggalo March. "This demonstration is about standing up for rights of people who have been profiled, discriminated, and unjustly treated simply for identifying with a particular music group or genre of music."
[Insane Clown Posse Loses Lawsuit Filed Over Gang Designation]
You don't have to identify as a Juggalo to participate in the march. Rather, the group says anyone who wants to "stand up for their civil rights and the rights of others who have been oppressed or discriminated by reckless law enforcement agencies" is encouraged to march.
"The FBI's inclusion of Juggalos as a 'gang' has resulted in hundreds if not thousands of people subjected to various forms of discrimination, harassment, and profiling simply for identifying as a Juggalo. A simple traffic stop for a broken tail light can — and has — resulted in an otherwise law-abiding, hard-working, taxpaying citizen being put on a local or state list of gang members simply for displaying their Juggalo pride."
One thing the duo is making absolutely clear, however, is that this march is not a party, Gathering of the Juggalos, or a frivolous social event.
"This is our chance to make a difference. A real difference. To show the world that we will we not tolerate anymore discrimination against our Juggalo brothers and sisters.... This march is a serious, peaceful public demonstration, organized for one purpose -- to deliver a message to the world showing how Juggalos have been unfairly stigmatized and discriminated against simply for identifying as being part of a particular music-based subculture."
In addition to the march, there will be an almost free ($1 per ticket) two-day concert at The Jiffy Lube Amphitheater in Bristow, VA, about 25 minutes outside of D.C., with performances by bands who have professed support for Juggalos throughout their struggle. The long list of performers currently includes ICP themselves, as well as Vanilla Ice and 2 Live Crew, among others.
"The Juggalo Family is not a joke, punchline, or any form of criminal organization. ...We may be the outsiders, the misfits, the weirdos, and the underdogs of the mainstream world, but as a result we have created our own world – one built on a rock-solid foundation of community, creativity, joy, and love."
The march will kick off around noon on Sept. 16 from the end of the National Mall, go around the Washington Monument and then back to the Lincoln Memorial, where a stage will be set up for several speeches from various artists, affected Juggalos and others. The actual walk should take about an hour; the whole event in total should be under four hours.
