Juggalos, pro-Trump activists descend on DC

Thousands of people flooded the streets of Washington, D.C., on Saturday for a pro-President Trump rally and a so-called Juggalo March. 

The convergence of the two groups in the nation’s capital marks an unusually busy weekend for Washington. 

U.S. Park Police prepared for as many as 3,000 people to descend on the city, according to USA Today.

{mosads}The publication reported that 1,000 people gathered north of the Washington Monument as the Juggalo event kicked off in the early afternoon. 

Juggalos, which is the name for fans of the Insane Clown Posse (ICP) hip hop group, protested the FBI’s classification of the group as a “loosely-organized hybrid gang” in its National Gang Threat Assessment. 

“What kind of gang sells music and not drugs and guns?” one of the organizers said on stage shortly after the rally began.

Crowd currently chanting: “Make America woop again” #juggalomarch pic.twitter.com/T5DAf73GVW

— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) September 16, 2017

The gang classification has had serious real-world consequences, according to both fans and members of the hip hop group itself. At the rally, fans spoke about being denied jobs, losing custody of children, being detained by police and getting denied from the military all because of their “gang” affiliation.

This year, ICP was forced to move its large annual festival, called the “Gathering of the Juggalos,” to Oklahoma from its previous venue in Ohio because it couldn’t obtain insurance due to the classification. 

Many Juggalos and Juggalettes at the rally said they identify as “weirdos” and outcasts from mainstream society. The ICP fandom has provided them with a valuable community and support network, and they resent the government penalizing them for it based on flimsy reasoning. 

“Juggalos are contributing members of society. Some of us are medics, military folks, we are the people who work at the cash register, who save your lives at the hospital,” said Kitty, a Juggalette who traveled to D.C. from Oakland.

“A Juggalo can be anybody, bad or good,” said Joe, a Juggalo from North Carolina. “Just because you like a certain type of music doesn’t say anything about you.”

Most of the hundreds of Juggalos who gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial said they heard about the rally through fan forums or Facebook, and many had made long trips to attend.

Though the members of ICP are known for their black-and-white face paint, most Juggalos arrived at the rally bare-faced. Nearly everyone either carried a sign or wore some sort of nod to Juggalo culture on their clothing. Many people wore actual clown costumes, and one man was dressed in an American flag bikini.

Prior to the rally, some pundits had questioned whether the event would turn violent or if any drama would ensue between the Juggalos and a competing pro-Trump rally taking place down the Mall. But as of Saturday afternoon there had been no issues.

In fact, many at the pro-Trump rally sympathized with the Juggalos. “It’s awful what the government is putting them through” said one Trump supporter named Glen, who declined to give his last name. “That happened on Obama’s watch and it needs to be fixed. These are good people and it’s unfair.” 

The pro-Trump rally, called the “Mother of All Rallies,” or M.O.A.R, had been dubbed “Woodstock for the silent majority.”

The last time I saw this thing, some Pizzagate guys punched its driver for playing music over their Pizzagate rally pic.twitter.com/bJC2RWmy1e

— Will Sommer (@willsommer) September 16, 2017 

M.O.A.R organizer Tommy Gun said that the rally isn’t specifically pro-Trump so much as “pro-American culture” and has extended an invitation to anyone who considers themselves a “patriot,” according to Consequence of Sound. 

Trump rally on the Mall includes members of the American Guard — a group dubbed “hardcore white supremacists” by the ADL #moar pic.twitter.com/vcFJGF6d1W

— Will Sommer (@willsommer) September 16, 2017

Various pro-Trump Republican political candidates were also present at the event, including Florida gubernatorial candidate Bruce Nathan. 

“Everywhere you turn there are stumbling blocks to success put there by the federal government,” Nathan said, according to USA Today.

Speaker Bruce Nathan who says he’s running for Governor of Florida ends speech with “Lock her up!” pic.twitter.com/PX3UWhLmTP

— Kelyn Soong (@KelynSoong) September 16, 2017

The pro-Trump crowd received an unfriendly greeting from some members of Antifa, or the anti-fascist group, who claimed they were there to shut down and protest the gathering. 

Kalorama Antifa will be shutting down this Nazi gathering here in DC #resist #MOAR #BashTheFash #Communism pic.twitter.com/L9Gk6hvli3

— Kalorama Antifa (@kalorama_antifa) September 16, 2017

Trump supporters surrounding some antifa — police made them take down their masks pic.twitter.com/jpHIAYbNUK

— Will Sommer (@willsommer) September 16, 2017

The gatherings were reminiscent of the weekend rallies held in Washington after the president’s inauguration and the Women’s March, which drew up to 470,000 people in January. 

D.C. police said that as of Saturday afternoon there had been no arrests made in the two gatherings.