FBI Classifies Juggalos As Gang Threat

The Juggalos, face-painting fans of the hardcore hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse, are not clowning around, the FBI's latest gang report says. The 2011 FBI National Gang Threat Assessment lumps Juggalos, who sport bizarre black and white face-paint inspired by their musical heroes, in with such notorious street gangs as LA's Crips and Latin Kings. "The Juggalos, a loosely organized hybrid gang, are rapidly expanding into many U.S. communities," the FBI report said. "Although recognized as a gang in only four states (Arizona, California, Pennsylvania and Utah), many Juggalos subsets exhibit gang-like behavior and engage in criminal activity and violence." However, the report says Juggalos' "disorganization and lack of structure within their groups, coupled with their transient nature, makes it difficult to classify them and identify their members and migration patterns." The group Insane Clown Posse, known for their grease-paint wicked clown makeup and elaborate shows, began in the Detroit suburbs and in 1999 the duo created their own wrestling promotion called Juggalo Championship Wrestling. The FBI says Juggalos have been charged with vandalism, beatings, assault, drug possession, petty theft, criminal activity and violence, but the New York Daily News reports many consider themselves to be no more a gang than Grateful Dead fans. More than 400 fans of Insane Clown Posse have signed an online petition urging the FBI to reclassify Juggalos, saying their lifestyle is misunderstood and is not gangbanging, the Daily News said.