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Rap group's fans at home as outcasts
But incidents in other states, Pineville graffiti catch attention of police
KYTJA WEIR
kweir@charlotteobserver.com
Video | What is a juggalo?
When the graffiti at the Pineville apartment complex showed up, police began to worry.
The police had just received an alert about a gang called the Juggalos that beat and robbed 23 people in Washington state this summer. Another Juggalo in Massachusetts attacked three people in a gay bar with a hatchet this year, then killed an officer during a cross-country manhunt.
Now it appeared the Juggalos had invaded the town of 3,650 on the edge of Mecklenburg County.
No other local crimes had been tied to them. But the scribbled marks suggested the gang was threatening a face-off with the notorious MS-13 gang that has been blamed for crimes nationwide.
Some local Juggalos, though, say they are not a gang at all. Instead, they say they are merely devoted fans of the band Insane Clown Posse.
Yes, they say, songs mention killing and hatchets and axes. Yes, Juggalos have tattoos and hand signals like a gang.
"We're not like the Bloods or the Crips," said Stephen McAlister, 21, a Juggalo in Gaston County. "We don't go out and sell drugs, shoot each other and pimp women."
They say they are better known for wearing makeup like clowns. They douse each other with a brand of soda pop called Faygo instead of spraying bullets.
And McAlister estimates hundreds -- maybe even thousands -- of Juggalos and Juggalettes live in the Charlotte region. Next month many will gather at the Tremont Music Hall when the Insane Clown Posse stops here for its Hallowicked tour.
"We're not as evil as people portray us," McAlister said. "Granted there are some who do enjoy wreaking havoc, but they also pay the consequences. My crew, we are peaceful."
Gang or groupies? Which version is right? Or is it a combination somewhere in between?
United like a family
The Juggalos' devotion to Insane Clown Posse and its "horror-rap" sound doesn't stop with buying albums. They've adopted an entire lifestyle.Other bands have also attracted adoring acolytes who create their own subcultures. Deadheads rambled along with the Grateful Dead. Parrotheads flock to Jimmy Buffett concerts. The KISS Army rallied its troops.
The Juggalos? They drive through the night to reach concerts in other states. They say the chance to meet band members is like politicians getting to meet the president.
They dye their hair and plait it like the band members. They tattoo themselves with the silhouette of a wild-haired man running with a hatchet, the logo for the band's record label. They wear it on charms, adorn cars with stickers and sport other ICP paraphernalia.
They also don makeup that makes them look like Bozo the Clown visiting the dark side.
"A lot of people didn't know me without my makeup on," said Daniel "Spike" McAlister, 22, who used to wear it to the store, in the street, anywhere.
(But other Juggalos say they can't wear it all the time because the best facepaint can be hard to find year round. And, some say, it causes breakouts.)
For the McAlisters' crew, who call themselves the Gashouse Juggalos because many live in Gaston County, all the clothing, makeup and gear represent something greater. The Insane Clown Posse has united them like a family, creating a network for people who might not otherwise fit in.
"It's the outcasts. It's the people society rejects," said Stephen McAlister, Spike's brother. "It's like the kid that's always picked last at sports. The fat kid. They just shut us out."
Carrie Morris, 24, whom Juggalos call Faygo, said the band and the culture bring something important to their lives. "I can't tell you how many people would have killed themselves before listening to this music," she said.
The band gives them an instant bond. They spot each other by the gear and shout out, "What's up, Ninja?"
And though some lyrics speak of "chicken hunting" (killing rednecks), they say they don't take that part of the message literally.
"We do not discriminate," Morris said.
"No, we hate equally," Spike McAlister retorted.
But Stephen McAlister got serious. "Just because the music is talking about murder, killing people, doesn't mean we are going to do it."
What constitutes a gang?
Pineville police, however, say they need to take every threat seriously. And the graffiti they found Aug. 14 behind the Meadow Creek apartments off South Polk Street made them worried about a possible gang war.
"People say graffiti is harmless," said Lt. Wayne Embrey. "Well, it's not. There's usually something behind this."
The graffiti they found showed joker icons. The biggest concern: markings that showed MS-13 crossed out.
"If we're seeing people cross out a tagging, they're saying this is my territory," Embrey said. "That concerns us because you've got a turf war about to happen."
The Gashouse Juggalos say they doubt the graffiti came from real Juggalos. But they acknowledge it's not the first time someone left ICP graffiti in the Charlotte area. After one concert, graffiti appeared on a local church.
Morris said she doesn't oppose graffiti but doesn't do it herself. However, when it's on a church, she said, that's not cool. She said she and other Juggalos offered to help clean it off.
She said they help others whenever they can, bringing gasoline to those whose cars run out on the side of the road. She points to the hatchet man icon and tells those she helps to remember the Juggalos. Real gangs don't help others, she said.
In North Carolina, that's not part of the official definition. Authorities generally define a gang as a group of three or more people who share an interest, bond or activity characterized by colors or icons. Law enforcement experts also say the group must engage in ongoing criminal or delinquent behavior.
Officer S.J. Parker, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police gang investigator, said he's not sure if the Juggalos fit the definition. "We don't have enough information to classify them either way," he said. Some Juggalos appear to adopt other gang titles, like Juggalo Crips, but police haven't determined what that means: gang, or wannabe?
Still, Embrey wants Pineville residents to report any Juggalo activity that appears gang-oriented. But he cautions, "Not everyone out there wearing a clown face is going to cut you up."
A culture of their own
The Gashouse Juggalos say they want people to know the truth about them. But they also say they won't change."There's nothing that can pull us apart," said Chris Queen, 19, who friends call Twitch. "There's nothing the cops can do."
On a recent afternoon, a cluster of Juggalos gathered on the McAlisters' driveway in the Gaston County town of Ranlo. They cranked up the ICP song "Shangri-La" on Morris' car stereo.
It was a typical hangout for them. Smoking cigarettes. Listening to music. Goofing around outdoors. They admitted that police came by earlier that day because they were shooting off fireworks. The music grew louder.
"It's already started," Morris said, rubbing goose bumps appearing on her arm.
"Ah I got my chills now," added Spike McAlister.
They sang along, knowing every word. The McAlisters' grandfather smoked on the porch, watching them.
The Juggalos ignored him and continued to sing, bobbing their heads to the music. When the song died down, they broke out the face makeup. Jonathan "Shaggz" Pope, 22, a tattoo artist, painted faces with stark clown patterns in gold and black.
"My God, you look bad enough without that," the grandfather yelled to Spike McAlister.
"I know, Paw Paw," McAlister said back softly.
The grandfather, who declined to give his name, tries to ignore the music that often fills his house and yard.
"If that's what you call music, that's out," he said.
He turned and walked away. The Juggalos, though, continued to rock out to the music.
Juggalo Icons
• Faygo -- Soda pop from a Detroit-based company that comes in a range of flavors from cola to peach, to Rock & Rye. "It's like any other soda. It's just cheap," said Carrie Morris, a Juggalo. "It's for the broke ninjas."
• Hatchet man -- The logo of the band's record label features a profile of a man running with a hatchet. The logo appears on jewelry, bumper stickers and clothing.
• Wicked Clowns, the Lotus and ICP -- Juggalo hand signals.
• Ninja -- A term of affection for a fellow Juggalo.
― like murderinging (modestmickey), Monday, 25 September 2006 03:23 (seventeen years ago) link
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