Friends Stand United
|
Friends Stand United (FSU)
|
|
|
In
|
|
|
Founded
by
|
|
|
Years
active
|
Late
1980s - present
|
|
Territory
|
|
|
Ethnicity
|
|
Friends Stand United (FSU) is a national organization in the United States which is classified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a street gang, a distinction that FSU members
deny. It is an anti-racist group which includes members of various ethnicities, but is
predominantly white.
Elgin James founded FSU (which originally stood for "Fuck Shit
Up") in the late 1980s in Boston,
Massachusetts. He formed FSU to attack, beat and
purge violent white power
skinheads and other various racist gangs
from punk rock
concerts.[1]
FSU has established chapters in many
major cities in the United States, Canada and North East England. The group has
splintered several times since its initial incarnation, with different chapters
holding different values. Universally, the group espouses violence as a valid
means to accomplish their goals.[2]
Many East Coast
hardcore bands, especially those in New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Massachusetts, openly endorse FSU's lifestyle and/or beliefs.
The founding core of FSU eventually
splintered, with a large section moving on to motorcycle gangs including the Outlaws.[3]
The split was amicable, but James and other founding members decided to leave a
more positive legacy and steer FSU away from the criminal world. They
established the Foundation Fund, which set up scholarships at local universities
(Berklee College
of Music and Suffolk
University Law School) in the names of FSU members who
had died. The fund also holds yearly benefit concerts to raise money for
charities that reflect "hardcore punk culture" (teen homelessness,
anti-handgun violence, suicide prevention and local orphanages). James currently denies involvement
with FSU, however he was arrested on July 14, 2009 on extortion
charges relating to his affiliation with the group five years prior.[1]
James and FSU were featured on National Geographic TV and the History Channel's Gangland series, and in Rolling Stone magazine.[4]
References
1. ^
a b Alleged Founder of Street Gang that Uses Violence to Control
Hardcore Punk Rock Music Scene Arrested on Extortion Charge for Shaking Down
$5,000 from Recording Artist for Protection
3. ^ Catalano, Debbie, “Elgin James:
Truth and Fiction”, Soundcheck magazine (November 2003), pp. 14-16
^ "Punk Rock Fight Club" by Mar
No comments:
Post a Comment