For fans of the Insane Clown Posse and other Psychopathic Records groups, the annual "Gathering of the Juggalos" is a sort of family affair. But reality television star Tila Tequila learned this weekend that she was not welcome.
Friday through Sunday, thousands of juggalos gathered in southern Illinois for the festival, which featured performances by ICP and the Kottonmouth Kings. For reasons unknown, Tila Tequila was invited to the event, and when she got on stage Friday--juggalos revolted.
"I went onstage and immediately, before I even got on stage, DUDES were throwing HUGE STONE ROCKS in my face, beer bottles that slit my eye open, almost burnt my hair on fire cuz they threw fire crackers on stage, and they even took the sh*t out of the port-0-potty and threw sh*t and piss at me when I was onstage," Tequila told TMZ. (TMZ has photos of the injured Tila here.)
Southern Illinois' WSIL-TV reports that the Hardin County Sheriff's department had to recruit officers from other towns and counties to deal with the festival--where at least 25 arrests were made for offenses ranging from drug possession to assault.
"We all have each other's back you know," Juggalo Kay Senenorai told WSIL-TV. "If any of us have any problems, we're all there for each other, and that's what its about, it's about support and showing love to anyone."
Tequila went on to explain the attack to TMZ:
"These people were trying to kill me. So then after the last blow to my head with the firecracker they threw at me exploded, my bodygaurd and the other security grabbed me and ran as fast as they could to the shitty trailor. Since their security SUCKS, the 2 thousand people ran after us, trying to kill me. They almost got me so they finally reach the trailor, blood all over myself, cant stop bleeding, then all of a sudden, all 2 thousand people surround the trailor and busts the windows!!! Even the guys INSIDE with me were shaking! Their hands were shaking cuz they were so scared! So 3 guys inside the trailor had to grab a table and push it over the broken windows and grabbed all the chairs they could find so hold the people from outside back. It was scary as hell!"
Hardin County Sheriff Tom Seiner told WSIL that another man was stabbed at the festival.
"Unfortunately you're always going to have some people who just follow the herd or whatever, and don't really get what it's actually about," Senenorai said--adding that violence is not what juggalos stand for.