The FBI Classifies Insane Clown Posse Fans as a “Gang”

The face-painting "Juggalos" are now filed under the same category as Crips and Bloods.

The FBI had better stock up on magnets and rainbows, because it may have to find ways to subdue the newest gang threat in this country: Juggalos.

According to the FBI's 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment report, fans of the rap/rock group Insane Clown Posse - who paint their faces with clown make-up and call themselves "Juggalos" - are now classified as a "loosely-organized hybrid gang" that are "forming more organized subsets and engaging in more gang-like criminal activity." 

Juggalo activity, according to the report, is usually limited to hand-to-hand drug sales, thefts, and felony assaults, and they utilize social networking sites to communicate and expand.

The schtick-heavy Insane Clown Posse, which is composed of rappers Violent J (real name: Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (real name: Joseph Utsler), was formed in 1989 in Detroit, Michigan. Outside of music, the duo have also dabbled in wrestling, video games, and comic books.

Their recent song and music video "Miracles," which muses on the wonder of everyday things, was widely ridiculed and eventually became a running internet joke, or "meme."

The Insane Clown Posse live shows and tours have also been a source of mockery, most notably on "Saturday Night Live' in the "Underground Music Festival" skit series.

Selected Reading: Wired, Huffington Post, FasterLouder

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