{"id":43746,"date":"2017-09-18T10:19:19","date_gmt":"2017-09-18T10:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=43746"},"modified":"2017-09-18T10:19:19","modified_gmt":"2017-09-18T10:19:19","slug":"juggalos-descend-d-c-fight-fbi-gang-distinction-pro-trump-activists-rally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/juggalos-descend-d-c-fight-fbi-gang-distinction-pro-trump-activists-rally.html","title":{"rendered":"Juggalos descend on D.C. to fight FBI gang distinction as pro-Trump activists rally"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Followers of the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse \u2014 known as Juggalos \u2014 held a march Saturday on the National Mall, alleging discrimination after the FBI labeled the group a gang in a 2011 report.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re different. We\u2019re not dangerous,\u201d Kevin Gill, who is an announcer for a Juggalo wrestling league, said from the rally stage. \u201cMusic is not a crime.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Juggalo 101: Who they are and why they’re marching on Washington<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The band, consisting of the duo Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, said the gang accusation “has resulted in hundreds if not thousands of people subjected to various forms of discrimination, harassment, and profiling simply for identifying as a Juggalo.” In a video on their website, the hip-hop artists claim their fans have lost jobs, custody of their children and been denied access to the military for their Juggalo affiliation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alesia Modglin, a pizza delivery worker from southwest Missouri, said she felt compelled to drive to D.C. to protest the FBI\u2019s classification. She said the group draws in young people who grew up in troubled homes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a family \u2026 Everybody loves each other,\u201d said Modglin, who came to the nation’s capital with her husband, two toddlers, and several other family members. She said some of the band\u2019s songs are \u201cdemonic, but there are hidden messages <\/span>of a peaceful place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Best of all, she said, there\u2019s \u201cno judgment.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Juggalos are known for displaying the band’s symbol, a man running with a hatchet, and the signature white-and-black face paint. The FBI placed Juggalos on the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment following reports of crimes committed by people with Juggalo tattoos and clothing. Federal officials estimate there are more than one million Juggalos in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Juggalos<\/span><\/p>\n

Fonz Tobin, a 25-year-old from Albuquerque, N.M., said the FBI\u2019s classification was ridiculous.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We\u2019re painting our faces and clowning around,\u201d said Tobin, who joined the Juggalo when he was 13.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had no place to live. I had no food in my stomach,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people who took me in were the Juggalo … They pulled me into their family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He said he works at Target and is trying to do film production on the side. \u201cAm I out there dealing drugs? Am I out there shooting people up?\u201d he said. \u201cNo. I have a job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier Saturday in a separate gathering, hundreds of pro-Trump activists rallied on the National Mall in what they said was a show of American patriotism and celebration.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here to support our president and this country,\u201d said Sue Babinec, who traveled to Washington from Cincinnati for what organizers dubbed the \u201cMother of All Rallies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. Park Police braced for a crowd of as many as 3,000 people. As the event opened, there were perhaps only 1,000 people gathered just north of the Washington Monument.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the crowd lacked the projected strength, they made up for it in the <\/span>with many participants decked out in pro-Trump garb and carrying American flags.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as they announced it, I knew I had to be here,\u201d said Dana Robinson, of Pittsburgh, as she weaved her way through the crowd in patchwork dress of Trump photos.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump is \u201cone of us she said,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cHe\u2019s an every man\u2019s president … He\u2019s doing great with no help from any of the Republicans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A handful of Republican candidates also made their way to the stage, rallying the crowd with their Trump-style political pitches. \u201cEverywhere you turn there are stumbling blocks to success,\u201d said Bruce Nathan, a GOP candidate for governor of Florida, \u201cput there by the federal government.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Matthew Murguia, 52, from the Washington suburbs, arrived with a sign that said \u201cMexico will pay for impeachment hearings.\u201d Murguia said he came to the rally to \u201cremind these people that their president, my president, is a liar.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The pro-Trump rally was peaceful but not without some skirmishes. A few counter protesters tried to interact with the Trump supporters, and they were met in at least one case by a swarm of camouflage-clad militia rally-goers. The park police quickly intervened and broke up the confrontation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Juggalo rally began with a series of testimonials from people who said they had their children taken from them or lost their jobs, among other incidents, because they had Juggalo tattoos or attended Juggalo concerts.<\/span><\/p>\n

“No one will hire me because of the music I listen to,” Jessica Bonometti told the crowd. She said she’d been fired from her job as a parole officer in Virginia because of her Juggalo association.<\/span><\/p>\n

Farris Haddad, a lawyer for the Juggalos, said the group was in D.C. “to clear our name!” He said the FBI would be a laughing stock if they tried to blacklist other music fans like punk rockers or Grateful Dead fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

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