Insane Clown Posse's Lawsuit Against FBI Dismissed

Last week, a Detroit judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against the Federal Bureau of Investigation by rap duo Insane Clown Posse, reports ABC News.

Back in January, Insane Clown Posse, consisting of Joseph Bruce (a.k.a. Violent J) and Joseph Utsler (a.k.a. Shaggy 2 Dope), partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan to sue the FBI after a 2011 report from the National Gang Intelligence Center classified fans of the group, known as Juggalos, as a "loosely organized hybrid gang" that frequently engages in crime, something that Bruce and Utsler felt violated their fans' "constitutional rights to free speech and due process" and has resulted in Juggalos being "targeted by police because they have jewelry or tattoos with the group's symbol, a man running with a hatchet."

According to the ABC News report, "(U.S. District Judge Robert) Cleland said the U.S. Justice Department is not responsible for how authorities use a national report on gangs." In a 14-page statement, Judge Cleland elaborated, saying that the FBI's report "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."

In a statement released by the ACLU in response to the lawsuit's dismissal, Bruce assures that, "This is not the end. We'll keep fighting to clear the Juggalo family name." He went on to say "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."

Both ABC News and The Boston Globe point out that Juggalos have not been included in the FBI's latest gang report, so the lawsuit may have actually worked, despite its dismissal.

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