With the assistance of the ACLU of Michigan, ICP and a handful of fans sued the FBI in 2014 in an effort to have the gang designation dropped. A district court in Michigan initially tossed the case out, arguing that the plaintiffs failed to show that they had suffered any injuries. But two years ago a federal appeals court in Ohio ruled that ICP would indeed have their day in court. The case is ongoing and clearly a headache for ICP members Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler). But what's especially distressing about this patently unfair gang designation is that it puts thousands and thousands of fans of the group--there are a fuckton of Juggalos and Juggalettes out there--at risk of having their lives violently impacted. Most of them are working class or marginalized people who cannot afford lengthy litigation processes to protect themselves from disproportionate responses to minor infractions. And the designation has set a dangerous precedent; if ICP fans are labeled a gang, who's next?

Last year, ICP announced that they would mobilize their community to make their voices heard by marching on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in September 2017. As it made the rounds online, the Juggalo March on Washington was, at first, a somewhat funny concept. Would thousands of clowns actually descend on our nation's capital? And if they did, would they be able to behave themselves? In hindsight, I regret ever having cracked jokes at the expense of the Juggalos several years ago, or questioning recently if they could pull off a massive peaceful demonstration. Today, I am proud to report that I am an absolute, enthusiastic supporter of the Juggalo family and have accepted that I actually kind of like ICP's music. Who was I trying to kid before? My last name is literally Carney. On Saturday, I attended the Juggalo March on Washington and I had the greatest fucking time of my entire life. Juggalos and Juggalettes rule and have built a community unlike any other that I've witnessed before. Contemporary artists talk a big game about community, but the Juggalos are light years ahead of us.

I'd like to apologize in advance for the length of this piece, but there is a whole lot to talk about. If you're a Juggalo or a Juggalette reading this, first of all: WHOOP WHOOP -- thank you for having us! Second: if you spot somebody in a picture that I should shout out in a caption, if you'd like a photo of yourself removed, if I have made any inaccurate statements, or if you just want to say what's up, please shoot me an email at:

sean@humorandtheabject.com

Let's get to chewin'.