Sunday, Jul. 05, 2009
Juggalos take issue with label as a gang
Culture is about music, not violence, fans insist
By Susan Herendeen
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There's nothing new about rap artists inviting controversy by glamorizing a thug lifestyle, with the most successful among them claiming ties to street gangs even as they move into mansions and get airplay on mainstream radio or music television.
A small niche within the rap scene, known as "horrorcore," is a little different. The genre is mainly associated with Detroit shock artists Insane Clown Posse, but it has spawned a host of imitators who excite crowds with musical horror stories in which murder, rape and suicide are recurrent themes.
Insane Clown Posse can't get its music on the radio, but claims to have 1 million devoted fans who call themselves "Juggalos" or "Juggalettes," and sometimes paint their faces to look like wicked clowns. Some round out the look by carrying small axes, like the cartoon hatchet man associated with the band.
Authorities point to assaults in Colorado, Utah, Washington and elsewhere when they argue that small sets of Juggalos have formed street gangs and deserve to be prosecuted just as the better-known Bloods and Crips, or Norteños and Sureños.
A March 7 assault in Graceada Park brought the debate to Modesto.
"I guess that makes me a high-ranking gang member, like a shot caller or something," joked Mario Delgado, who performs as Mars. He has played at festivals sponsored by Insane Clown Posse and recently moved from the East Bay to Modesto.
Mars was referring to an attack on a man who was at Graceada Park with his family. The assault was clownlike, yet brutal. It began with a teen running up to the man to demand a handshake and ended with a host of other Juggalos intervening to stop a fight.
The man had his leg broken in two places as his girlfriend and two daughters watched in horror.
Prosecutors say the Juggalos arrested at the park had all the ingredients of a criminal street gang: three or more members, a common sign or symbol (in this case the cartoon hatchet man), and banding together to commit a crime.
Brandon Ferrell, 18; Joshua Huggins, 17; Kurt Petersen, 22; and Larry Williams, 20, have pleaded not guilty and are in jail awaiting trial. News coverage of their case prompted a lot of feedback, including comments from people who say "true" Juggalos are opposed to violence.
What they are -- and aren't
A few Juggalos said they no longer would hang out in Graceada Park because fighting is wrong.
A former girlfriend of one defendant said fans are supposed to read between the lines to find meaning in songs that feature over-the-top violence.
A parent said he was irritated when his son got in trouble for wearing an Insane Clown Posse T-shirt to school because the boy never has been a troublemaker and was wrongly accused of being a gang member.
And a husband and father who likes the music said he sometimes paints his face for fun and spots people who are "down with the clown" all over town, identifying them by their tattoos or clothing or decals on their cars.
James Miller, 27, of Modesto thinks the park suspects misinterpreted the band's message, saying it is not a call to arms but an open invitation to misfits who need a place to blow off some steam and will not be turned away at Juggalo events.
He hopes Juggalo culture doesn't get a bad rap because of a few bad apples.
"I don't stand on corners 'claiming parks,' " Miller said. "I don't go around assaulting people."
During a hearing in the Graceada Park case, a crime analyst for the Modesto Police Department said local authorities have watched the Juggalos grow in numbers since their first contact with the group in 2005.
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http://www.modbee.com/local/story/770584.html
