A lawsuit filed against the Justice Department by the men who make up the rap group Insane Clown Posse and four of their fans, including an active-duty soldier, will continue after an appeals court ruling overturned its dismissal.
Sgt. Robert Hellin says a 2011 report calling Juggalos a “hybrid gang” could lead to him being kicked out of service because of his affiliation with the group and his Juggalo-related tattoos.
Photo Credit: ACLU of Michigan
Hellin responded to written questions through Sahu. Answers to a number of questions about his role in the case were not provided. The 29-year-old said he began listening to ICP in the late 1990s and has “several tattoos, including a Hatchetman [an established Juggalo/ICP symbol] that I got before I enlisted.”
Another member of the lawsuit, Scott Gandy, claims in court documents that the hybrid gang designation derailed his plans to join the Army. A sergeant told Gandy he would have to cover his large ICP-related tattoos to qualify for service, the suit states, and that after Gandy spent hundreds of dollars to do so, he was denied enlistment anyway.
Army officials have said there is no Juggalo-specific policy regarding current or prospective service members, and that while rules against offensive tattoos are on the books, the Army does not keep a list of gang-related tattoo designs that would disqualify an individual from service.
The Sept. 17 ruling will return the case to district court. No date has been set. The ICP has received backing from the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, which maintains a Web page detailing the group’s claims.
