Insane Clown Posse (ICP) filed suit today (January 8) against the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), alleging that the government agencies labeled its fans as gang members without cause, which resulted in harassment and harm, according to nytimes.com.
“Among the supporters of almost any group — whether it be a band, sports team, university, political organization or religion — there will be some people who violate the law,” the lawsuit filed by Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope says. “However, it is wrong to designate the entire group of supporters as a criminal gang based on the acts of a few. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened here.”
Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope are among the plaintiffs in the case, which also includes four members of the ICP’s Juggalos fanbase, the nytimes.com story says.
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In 2011, the F.B.I. published a “National Gang Threat Assessment: Emerging Trends” report. It included a section that described Juggalos as “a loosely organized hybrid gang” whose members were “expanding into many U.S. communities,” nytimes.com reports. That report laid the foundation for the lawsuit ICP filed today.
ICP filed a lawsuit in 2012 against the FBI that requested the documents the government agency used in order to prepare its “National Gang Threat Assessment: Emerging Trends” report.
“We’re not a gang,” Shaggy 2 Dope said at a press conference regarding today’s lawsuit. “We’re a family. We’re a diverse group of men and women, united by our love of music and nothing more. We’re not a threat, a public menace or a danger to society.”
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