Everything You Never Wanted to Know About the Juggalos€¦ · This is by no means an exhaustive narrative of the Juggalos, and I have done my best to provide an accurate list of

Everything You Never Wanted to Know About the Juggalos 1

Everything You Never Wanted to Know About the Juggalos

Deputy Christopher N. Pratt

Gang/Intelligence Unit

November 22, 2010


During my short time on the Sheriff Department’s Gang/Intelligence Unit one group seems to

keep randomly popping up and catching my attention as I conduct various searches, member

contacts, and so on. This group is comprised of fanatical followers of the rap group known as

the Insane Clown Posse (ICP). On the streets they call themselves the Juggalos.

Since the Juggalos keep randomly appearing and catching my attention, I felt the need to give

them some measure of attention in attempts to try and teach myself more about them. I haven’t

been able to find a significant source of collected data on the Juggalos, but what I did find were

several chopped up pieces of information scattered throughout the web. I decided to put

together some basic information to help other officers learn more about them.

This is by no means an exhaustive narrative of the Juggalos, and I have done my best to

provide an accurate list of references at the end of this document to verify the information I am

providing.

Basic History

The rap group known as ICP was founded in the late 1980’s; however, the term “Juggalo” was

first used in a concert in 1994 when ICP founders Joseph Bruce (aka Violent J) and Joseph

Utsler (aka Shaggy 2 Dope) addressed their fans and followers as part of their Juggalo family.

Bruce and Utsler are originally from Detroit, MI. Juggalo groups also fall under the

Psychopathic Records hip-hop group which is comprised of ICP’s founding members and a

handful of their associates also known as the Dark Lotus group.

Juggalo Identifiers

Juggalos are often relatively easy to identify even when not dressed up as clowns. Common

dress can be defined as somewhat punk-rock or gothic in nature, and Juggalos will often wear

ICP related clothing. Juggalo vehicles can be easily identified as they display ICP related

decals. Black combat boots, pants or long shorts with metal pins, chains, needles, and etc.,

baggy t-shirts or tank tops, jackets or etc. with anything metallic are also common trends

amongst the Juggalos. For obvious reasons, contact officers should consider Juggalos to be

armed, and that many of these items on their clothing could be a potential weapon. As we all

know; baggy clothing allows them to conceal weapons easily as well.

The average Juggalo is almost a mirror image of the Gothic or Emo social groups. Most

Juggalos tend to be Caucasians; pale in complexion, often from suburban neighborhoods,

dressed in baggy clothing with ICP branded items, or even dressed as evil clowns face paint

and all. However, Juggalo followers come from all walks of life. It is not uncommon to find a

Juggalo from a rich r poor background, any and all ethnic backgrounds, and even various

religious groups. There are also celebrities claiming to be Juggalos. Some popular Juggalo


followers are pro wrestlers Kazushige Nosawa and Vampiro, rappers Chuck D, Coolio, King

Fu Vampire, MURS, and Vanilla Ice.

Most Juggalos will wear a tattoo of the Psychopathic Record’s logo called the Hatchetman.

This is simply a silhouette of a cartoon man running with a hatchet in his hand. There has also

been a female version of this symbol that has started to emerge recently. Examples of each are

provided later in this document.

Other tattoos are images from the ICP’s record album cover art, resembling some sort of evil

clown. It is also common to see a Juggalo with different terms or phrases tattooed somewhere

on their person. Usually you might see something like “Juggalo”, “Twizted”, “Evil Clown”, or

“ABK” (Any Body Killa).

The main threat from the Juggalos is that they tend to populate junior and senior high school

children. They usually recruit social outcasts with antisocial behaviors, and those who simply

do not fit in with everyone else. Because of their odd dress style and peculiar behaviors,

Juggalos are often harassed by youths from other social groups. This mockery can probably be

connected to some of the Juggalo outburst as they reach their breaking points from excessive

harassment.

One might think that as a young person grows into an adult that he or she might abandon such

ludicrous behaviors, but many Juggalos continue to maintain this lifestyle. It is common to find

Juggalos in their 20’s all the way up into their 40’s, and still actively participating.

Juggalo Territories

As mentioned earlier; the Juggalos began in Detroit, Michigan, but have been involved in

crimes in Utah, Washington, Pennsylvania, Florida, Connecticut, and various areas in Colorado

including Aurora, Arvada, Lakewood, Canon City, Pueblo, and Denver.

As I mentioned earlier; the Juggalos can often be found in middle-class suburban areas, but it is

not uncommon to find them running amok in ghetto or urban areas as well.

The Gathering of the Juggalos (GOTJ)

The Juggalos have an annual conference commonly referred to as “the Gathering of Juggalos”.

This Gathering can be loosely defined as a sort of Woodstock for the Juggalo Family. The

event usually lasts for approximately four days. There really is no common grounds for holding

this circus because the Juggalos have trashed previous sites, and have been banned from

returning to that area. The Gathering location and schedule is usually posted on the Gathering’s

website www.juggalogathering.com, and usually has a wide assortment of different rappers,

bands, DJ’s, and musical groups.

http://www.juggalogathering.com/


The Gatherings have been known to become problematic as the members behave erratically,

and are known to be under the influence of drugs/alcohol. Nudity, profanity, and violence are

all common practices at a Juggalo gathering. At the 2010 Gathering two of the performers were

attacked with bottles of the Faygo soda. Both were injured, and are planning to sue ICP for

their injuries.

Juggalo Crime

Crimes related to the Juggalo family include murder, shootings, kidnapping, rape, necrophilia,

cannibalism, assault, and arson with no common pattern or trends. Crimes seem to be randomly

acted out, and are often acts acted out by one or more individuals as opposed to an actual gang

related incident. Juggalo related violence is usually a mob of Juggalos on one victim. They

tend to run and fight in packs.

The Juggalo “code” (as one might loosely refer to it) encourages all sorts of miscreant

behaviors. They are not beyond committing violent, sexual, or even grotesque crimes, and in

fact, such acts give a Juggalo a sense of pride and street credit amongst peers. The Juggalos

claim to be strongly opposed to racism, bigotry, and snitches, but everything else is apparently

okay.

Most Juggalo news is easy to find on the web. Some Juggalo related crimes that made the news

are as follows:

February 1, 2006-Jacob Robida conducted a series of hatchet attacks and random

shootings which took the lives of three people, including himself and a local police

officer.

June 18th

and 20th

, 2006-Washington. Several Juggalos dressed as clowns attacked park

visitors in Tacoma. Nearly two dozen were injured, and the Juggalos threatened to kill

and behead other visitors of the park.

February 2007-Bryan Grove and his girlfriend Tess Damm were arrested murder for

stabbing Tess’ mother to death. Grove pled down to second degree murder, and is up

for parole in 30 years. Damm was charged with first degree murder, and another

unnamed party was arrested for possible involvement.

September 2008-Utah. 18 year old Blue Wynn and an unnamed 15 year old, both

Juggalos, attempted to kidnap a 5 year old boy by trying to force him into a car.

Witnesses described both would-be kidnappers by their distinguished style of dress, and

the clown masks they wore. The boy was safely recovered.

July 2008-Utah. Two teens lured a 17 year old out of his home, and then attacked him

with a battle axe stabbing him over a dozen times. Police linked the crime to the

Juggalos with a necklace the victim managed to tear off of one of his assailants. The

necklace was a Juggalo symbol.

November 1997-New Mexico. Joseph Bruce was arrested for assaulting one of his fans

with a microphone. Bruce was released on a $5000 bond four hours after his arrest.


Early 1998-Indiana. Bruce and one of the former ICP band members had stopped at a

Waffle House where they were harassed by one of the restaurant’s patrons. The band

members retaliated by assaulting the customer. Months later Bruce plead guilty to

disorderly conduct charges that had been reduced from battery charges.

January 2000- Michigan. Rapper Eminem assaulted an associate of Bruce and Utsler’s,

and threatened him with a gun in a parking lot. Eminem and ICP have maintained

strong rivalries ever since.

November 2010-Juggalo Ben “Suzpekt” Butler was hospitalized after drinking a Faygo

soda that someone had laced with rat poison. No other information is available at this

time, but another Juggalo is suspected of the crime.

February 2009-Pennsylvania. US ARMY veteran, and soon to be police officer Michael

Goucher was stabbed to death by two teenagers. Police say that as the teens were

killing Goucher they acted out lyrics to songs from ICP’s albums. The Monroe County

District Attorney stated that the Juggalos killed Goucher simply because they wanted to

know how it felt.

Late 2009-Pennsylvania. Four Juggalos attack and kill a fellow Juggalo. 21 year old

Anthony Locascio was lured into the woods where his fellow Juggalos where they beat

him 60-80 times with metal baseball bats. Locascio allegedly had snitched to local

police revealing information on an unidentified rap group. Police say that Locascio’s

murder was acted out almost exactly as the lyrics to ICP’s song Imma Kill U :

“First, I smack your head with a bat

The bloody splat, crack with impact”

September 2009-California. 20 year old rapper and Juggalo Sam McCroskey, also

known as “Syko Sam”, was charged for four different murders. One of the victims was

a pastor from Virginia. The lyrics to one of McCroskey’s songs titled My Dark Side

depict his behavior and crime perfectly.

"You're not the first, just to let you know. I've killed many people and I kill them real

slow. It's the best feeling, watching their last breath. Stabbing and stabbing till there's

nothing left."

August 2010-A Juggalette known as Envy was reported to have been murdered by her

boyfriend, also a Juggalo. No other details were available at this time.

August 2010-Georgia. 49 year old Mark E. Rice is arrested after an incident at the

Juggalo Gathering. Rice assaulted another Juggalo with a deadly weapon. The assailant

was then chased off the scene by other fans, and was picked up by local police. The

victim was airlifted to the trauma center for his injuries.

Behavior

The general consensus on the Juggalos is that they are simply just a group of young adults

dressing like clowns, and acting it out. Most law enforcement officers consider the Juggalos to


be a relatively minor problem; however, there are always exceptions to everything. While they

may appear to be a mixed up teenager that looks like a carnie reject, there are still Juggalos that

take themselves seriously. Like every gang they have their hardcore members, and those that

just want to fit in.

The typical Juggalo demeanor or attitude as they define it as “I/we don’t give a fuck” which

can prove problematic to contact officers. It is almost safe to say that the Juggalos are very

cult-like in nature. Members tend to follow ICP and their songs, and take the messages quite

literal.

While searching for other information relating to the history of the Juggalos I accidentally

came across a Juggalo religious gathering that is held on online forums and videos. This

religious group’s activities are still rather minor; however, it shows the level of commitment

the members have for their gangs, as well as their overall state of mind with their beliefs.

Further research lead me to an actual petition of Juggalos wanting a “Juggalo Bible” to be

written. Currently, I have not found anything that suggests this bible is anything more than just

a pipe dream.

Many believe that there is even a special place in hell reserved just for them. Others have

gathered together and created the Juggalo Faith website (2010) where someone by the alias of

“Reverend Last Rite” posts online sermons to his fellow Juggalo followers. These sermons are

a mixture of actual Christian scripture, and the Juggalo’s imaginative philosophies.

35 year old Jason Faanes (AKA Rev. Last Rite) of VA Beach, Virginia claims that his church

is the first Juggalo faith system to be recognized by the federal government. Faanes is also

actively serving in the US Navy. All of his information can be found easily on his MySpace

page.

Jason Faanes is pictured below.


Another web based group that is a sub-set of Faanes’ Juggalo Faith group call themselves the

Fellowship of Juggalos (FOJ) even has a creed for their followers posted on the web page

(2010). The creed is as follows:

“I am a Juggalo.

I am an individual guided by Light. I know who I am and who I want to be. I recognize that the

path to Shangri-La requires an open mind. I shall not judge.

I am part of a Family.

I shall Love my Family as I would my blood. I shall do my Family no harm as I know what is

done to others shall surely be done to me. I shall strive to honor my Family and not disgrace

their name.

I am a Ninja.

I have no Fear. I do not Fear the unknown fore I embrace the wonders of the world around me

and the differences in others. I shall meet adversity head on fore I am a Survivor. Nothing can

stop my Shine.

I am Human.

I recognize my flaws. I shall strive to change the things I can control and seek strength for the

things I cannot. I shall cherish the teachings of my ancestors and the Family who have fallen

before me.

I have Love.

With Love there is Unity and Strength. Love does not hurt, nor does it seek to destroy. I too,

shall not hurt or seek to destroy.

With Love in my Heart, Love for my Family, and Love for the Carnival, I shall find my path to

Shangri-La”

The FOJ website (2010) also listed the basic belief system which the followers are expected to

adhere to. Again these beliefs are loosely derived from the Holy Bible, but are contorted to fit

the Juggalo’s lifestyle. Shangri La is the Juggalo’s heaven or paradise. The Dark Carnival can

refer to the Juggalo’s home or place of origin, but is also the name given to their faith, and their

hierarchy. Believers of the Dark Carnival believe

As with everything else; the Juggalo beliefs originate from ICP’s series of albums referred to

as the “six joker’s cards”. Each album represents a different being with a different message

relating to the faith and apocalyptic prophecies.

This is a short sample of the Juggalo beliefs that I found on the FOJ website (2010):


“Family Values:

1. A Juggalo does not Hate/ Discriminate

2. A Juggalo does not steal from his/her Family

3. A Juggalo does not covet his/her ninjas significant other

4. A Juggalo keeps his/her Drama in hand, but out of sight

5. A Juggalo avoids Cliques and keeps his/her Family whole

6. To a Juggalo Everyone is Equal

7. A Juggalo does not initiate Religious Battles fore that leads to Hating

8. A Juggalo should always try to have fun.

9. When a Juggalo has Beef with another ninja he/she keeps it between them and doesn't

involve the rest of his/her Family

10. A Juggalo doesn't have to Lie to be Down

11. Above all a Ninja is proud to be a Juggalo”

FOJ Coat of Arms

For more in-depth information on the Juggalo faith and fellowship can be found on the

www.juggalofaith.com or the www.fellowshipofjuggalos.com websites.

http://www.juggalofaith.com/

http://www.fellowshipofjuggalos.com/


Many states are beginning to classify the Juggalos as a security threat group, and it is wise to

consider them as we would any other gang member when making contact. Because of the

unpredictable behavior of the Juggalos, and the unknown mental state when making contact

officers should use their best discretion. In a recent contact with a Colorado based Juggalo; my

contact informed me that the Juggalos still gang-bang, and are no different than the Crips or the

Bloods. Juggalos protect members of their “family”, and act similarly to most other street

gangs with regards to snitches, rivals, and etc.

Juggalo Terminology

This information was available on a Juggalo made website called the Other Side of Jay (ND).

This is a list of the more commonly used Juggalo terms and phrases. I have tried my best to

add a brief description of each term. If interested; there are several more terms available on the

website.

Juggalo/Juggalette-member(s) of the Juggalo family.

Faygo-a beverage consumed by the Juggalos. Founded by ICP.’s Psychopathic Records.

Family-Juggalos refer to their gang and members as a family, not a gang.

Dark Carnival-Considered to be the Juggalo’s home, but is more of a myth.

Ninja/Ninjette-Stealthy Juggalo fighters.

Down with the Clown-Lifetime supporter of Juggalo, and a believer of the Dark Carnival

Clown Love- Showing respect to a Juggalo member.

Killa-Juggalo friend/acquaintance.

Shangri-La- Juggalo heaven or paradise.

Woop, Woop- Juggalo greeting similar to “what’s up?

The Ringmaster-Leader of the Juggalo’s Carnival

MCL-Much Clown Love

Hatchetman-Main Juggalo symbol, also the symbol of Psychopathic Records.

Chicken-Redneck.


ABK-Any Body Killa

Bowling Ball-Human head, but used as a bowling ball.

Carnie-Member of the Dark Carnival

Dark Lotus-6 founding members of Psychopathic Records

Foo Dang-When used in reference to a male it means he is weak or cowardly. When used in

reference to a female it means she is strong or assertive.

Inner City Possee- ICP’s first/original gang set from Detroit.

JCW-Juggalo Championshit Wrestling. Psychopathic Record’s pro wrestling group. Has made

appearances in WCW and WWF

Juggalo Rydas- Juggalos with the Hatchetman tattoo

Juggaloco-Insane Juggalo

Juggaloism-Followers of the Juggalo beliefs and principles.

Murder Go Round-Juggalo’s form of karma, or retribution. Similar to the “eye for an eye”

philosophy.

Necromancy-Refers to magic of the dead.

Runnin’ with a Hatchet-Juggalo saying that refers to living the Juggalo lifestyle. Another way

of phrasing “Living by the sword”.

Scoopa Villains-Another Juggalo set lead by Bruce and Utsler.

Southwest Strangla- Utsler’s rank, or title amongst the Juggalos.

The Juggla- Bruce’s rank, or title amongst the Juggalos.

Trees- another name for marijuana.

Voodoo- Another term for dark magic.

Wicked Clowns-refers to Bruce and Utsler.

Wig Split-means to cut someone’s head in half.


Juggalo and ICP Related Symbols

Most of the Juggalo’s tattoos, symbols, and such come from the ICP albums cover art. The

most common identifying tattoo of a Juggalo is the Hatchetman, a simple image of a man

running with a hatchet in his hand.

A newer derivative of this symbol is the female or Juggalette version of the Hatchetman:

The following images are album covers, but are also popular tattoos, decals on vehicles,

clothing, graffiti, and so on. I’ve also provided the album name and production year. Images

were found on www.respecta.net website.

Carnival of Carnage-1992

http://www.respecta.net/


The Ringmaster-1994

Riddle Box-1995

The Great Milenko-1997


The Amazing Jeckel Brothers-1999

Hell’s Pit-2004

Bang! Pow! Boom!-2009


Juggalo Followers, Tattoos, etc.

I collected the following pictures to provide a general idea of the Juggalo fashion style, trends,

tattoos, graffiti, and what have you. There doesn’t appear to be any major consistency, except

the tattoos identifying that person as a Juggalo follower. Images can be easily found on

MySpace accounts, Flickr, or any Juggalo related web page.

I’ve also attached pictures of ICP’s founding members Bruce and Utsler.

Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler

AKA

Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope

http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/Insane_Clown_Posse_unmasked_by_MadRob.jpg



Juggalo flashing hand signs “WC” for Wicked Clown









Coolio showing his Juggalo tattoo



Resources

Juggalo Information

www.insaneclownposse.com

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Juggalo

http://tripatlas.com/Juggalo

http://juggalos.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Juggalo_terms

Juggalos in the News

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090527/NEWS/905270324

http://juggaloholocaust.wordpress.com/

Pictures

www.respecta.net

www.flickr.com

www.insaneclownposse.com

Juggalo Faith

http://www.myspace.com/rev_last_rite/photos#

www.juggalofaith.com

www.fellowshipofjuggalos.com

Juggalo Terminology

http://theothersideofjay.tripod.com/id6.html

http://www.insaneclownposse.com/

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Juggalo

http://tripatlas.com/Juggalo

http://juggalos.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Juggalo_terms

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090527/NEWS/905270324

http://juggaloholocaust.wordpress.com/

http://www.respecta.net/

http://www.flickr.com/

http://www.insaneclownposse.com/

http://www.myspace.com/rev_last_rite/photos

http://www.juggalofaith.com/

http://www.fellowshipofjuggalos.com/

http://theothersideofjay.tripod.com/id6.html

Documents

Everything You Never Wanted to Know About the Juggalos€¦ · This is by no means an exhaustive narrative of the Juggalos, and I have done my best to provide an accurate list of