In 2011, the FBI classified Juggalos (fans of the horrorcore rap group Insane Clown Posse) as a “loosely organized hybrid gang,” which would be hilarious if it didn’t also lead to discrimination against a group of fans who just seem like friendly oddballs. (If you haven’t seen Whoop Dreams yet, go watch it for free.) The designation as a gang means Juggalos could conceivably be fired, kicked out of the military, banned from going near their own kid’s school, and given longer sentences for minor crimes. Until very recently, California penal system inmates in a gang could be placed in unlimited solitary confinement.
The Insane Clown Posse and the ACLU sued the Department of Justice in 2014 to get that designation changed, but they haven’t succeeded yet. Hence the Juggalo March on Washington at the National Mall in Washington D.C. last Saturday.
We already covered interesting and funny early moments of the event on Saturday, and now we look back on all of the amusing and peaceful hijinks those who are down with the clown were up to this weekend.
Before the march started, many of us were wondering if the Juggalos would clash with the Trump supporters at the coinciding event at the National Mall: the MOAR, which means either “Mother Of All Rallies” or “Mostly Online And Russian” depending on who you ask. The latter may prove more accurate, as the turnout for MOAR was a bit sparse while the Juggalo rally seemed boisterous and especially positive, with the Toronto Star‘s Daniel Dale saying it was, “definitely the first protest where I’ve said I’m a reporter and people have tried to hug me.” (FAM-I-LY!)
To find out just how large the crowd was, we go to our special correspondent Sean-y 2 Dope:
Thanks, Sean.
These two videos also give a sense of the crowd size:
Some of the protesters had funny signs with slogans like “Make America WHOOP Again,” “I wish my cat was here,” and “Your local pizza guy is not a gang member just because he is down with the clown.” And, of course, the famous line from “Miracles” — “F*ckin’ magnets, how do they work?” — got repurposed:
And some of the protesters also took a strong stance on the issue of “Should this dog be allowed to be this cute?”
Daniel Dale took notes on what the official speakers said and how the crowd reacted. If you didn’t know, Juggalos are the best at call and response.
Even the Insane Clown Posse front men Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope dropped some deep thoughts on the crowd.
It wasn’t all talk of buttholes, of course (unfortunately?). Violent J also addressed the crowd, saying, “A lot of people don’t want discrimination in this country anymore, man. They don’t want bullsh*t racism, they don’t want hate, that sh*t’s played out and ancient. So we’re standing for a lot more than our problem at hand, because like I said if they get away with this, if they roll right over us, where exactly does it f*ckin’ stop?”
And many people noted how friendly the crowd was being:
But the Juggalos did show some ire for one group: the FBI who designated them a gang:
Some people found the whole thing confusing:
But we learned new things:
Truly, we are all clowns:
(Special thanks to Daniel Dale, Sean J Patrick Carney, Jack Smith IV, Sam Knight, and Inverse, and R.I.P. Ass Dan.)