The Juggalos March on Washington

Juggalos, the fans of horrorcore rap group Insane Clown Posse marched on Washington, September 16, 2017, to protest being labeled as a gang.

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"We have the right to listen to any kind of music we want without being labeled a gang," says Nellie Aldred, a Juggalo and mother of two. Aldred and family traveled from South Carolina to the D.C. area to participate in the Juggalo March on Washington. Juggalos are the fans of the Detroit horrorcore rap group Insane Clown Posse (ICP) and they are protesting a gang classification given to them by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2011.

Aldred says she and family were needlessly stopped by police over a hatchetman sticker on their car (The hatchetman is a symbol that identifies one as a Juggalo.) Further, more Juggalos say the gang label has lead to lost jobs and been used against them in child custody disputes.

"The march is our mark on history. It's showing the world who we are. We've been hiding under the streets for way too long and we are about to come up top and show everybody who we are," says Aldred.

"If the government can get away with this, then what the fuck happens to us next," said Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler), one of the members of ICP, to a crowd in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

The march included testimonies from people who have had the gang label negatively applied to them as well as speeches from supporters like writer and Juggalo Nathan Rabin.

"There is no such thing as an ordinary Insane Clown Posse show. It's always a spectacle," says Rabin, author of You Don't Know Me But You Don't Like Me and 7 Days in Ohio. "The challenge was to show the world that Juggalos are good people. Juggalos are a law abiding people. Juggalos love each other and are a positive force for the community and I think that's been illustrated here."

Produced by Paul Detrick and Jim Epstein. Camera work by Epstein, Todd Krainin and Meredith Bragg. Sound by Mark McDaniel.