This was a really good read, thanks for sharing! (I especially liked the part about the volunteer harm reduction group!)
I remember the topic of the state crackdown coming up several years ago too when the Juggalos were marching on DC to protest their "gang designation", at the same time a MAGA rally was also planned in DC, as well as a planned counter-protest.
Having grown up around the Grateful Dead & Phish counter cultures I remember really wondering why so much attention from the state was focused on the Juggalos. Don't get me wrong, both the Dead and Phish cultures had their fair share of state involvement. But it was usually in the form of undercover DEA agents busting the more prolific dealers, as well as local and state police busting anyone they could catch doing dirt. Rarely ever riot squads...
Is it their budding class consciousness, or is it that their dress/costume scares the average folk more than the hippies did? Could it be that since most ICP fans openly disavow racism, but tend to come from poor, rural areas - populations who are manipulated into racist, bigoted othering simply to prevent that sort of class consciousness?
Either way, I'll happily stand in solidarity. The best moment of their march on DC in '17 was when the MAGA crowd assumed the Juggalos would join their ranks, to which they got a hearty Fuck You from the Juggalos.
And with that, I'll leave you with my favorite meme from that event.
