Thursday, July 10, 2014
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Insane Clown Posse, Juggalos can’t sue the government, judge rules
From Motor City Muckraker:
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Insane Clown Posse and their fans, saying the federal government is not responsible for what happens after fans of the rap-metal duo are labeled as gang members.
The group sued the federal government after a 2011 FBI report labeled fans, known as Juggalos, as a “loosely organized hybrid gang” with a history of assaults, vandalism and other crimes. The lawsuit claimed fans were being unfairly targeted because of the designation.
U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland said the federal government is not responsible for how local authorities use the information in the FBI report.
The report, he wrote, “does not recommend any particular course of action for local law enforcement to follow, and instead operates as a descriptive, rather than prescriptive, assessment of nationwide gang trends.”
The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU, which argued the group and their fans were subjected to constitutional violations.
“This is not the end. We’ll keep fighting to clear the Juggalo family name,” Insane Clown Posse member Joseph Bruce, known as Violent J, said in a statement.
“While it is easy to fear what one does not understand, discrimination and bigotry against any group of people is just plain wrong and un-American,” he said.
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Insane Clown Posse and their fans, saying the federal government is not responsible for what happens after fans of the rap-metal duo are labeled as gang members.
The group sued the federal government after a 2011 FBI report labeled fans, known as Juggalos, as a “loosely organized hybrid gang” with a history of assaults, vandalism and other crimes. The lawsuit claimed fans were being unfairly targeted because of the designation.
U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland said the federal government is not responsible for how local authorities use the information in the FBI report.
The report, he wrote, “does not recommend any particular course of action for local law enforcement to follow, and instead operates as a descriptive, rather than prescriptive, assessment of nationwide gang trends.”
The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU, which argued the group and their fans were subjected to constitutional violations.
“This is not the end. We’ll keep fighting to clear the Juggalo family name,” Insane Clown Posse member Joseph Bruce, known as Violent J, said in a statement.
“While it is easy to fear what one does not understand, discrimination and bigotry against any group of people is just plain wrong and un-American,” he said.
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