Some worried the convergence in the nation’s capital of a rally for fans of a rap group and two dueling Trump-related protests would lead to violence. But the gatherings remained mostly peaceful.
As a rule of thumb, it is not big news when multiple political rallies overlap in the same weekend in the nation’s capital, a prime setting for anyone trying to send a message to governmental power.
But there are exceptions to every rule. And certainly, in this case, an exception for a large gathering of Juggalos airing their grievance against the Federal Bureau of Investigations. (More on this later.)
Downtown Washington, D. C. was home Saturday to three prominent demonstrations that some feared might combine violently but they instead stayed largely separate and peaceful, with modest attendance.
The self-described » Mother of All Rallies,» designed to support President Trump and «defend American culture,» was staged on the National Mall for late Saturday morning.
Around the same time and several blocks away near the White House, was a separate rally to » Protect American Democracy,» which organizers say was meant to tell the president to take a tougher stance against Russian interference in American elections.
The rally garnering the most attention was » Juggalo March,» an assembly set near the Lincoln Memorial of so-called Juggalos, fans of the horrorcore rap duo Insane Clown Posse who often wear face paint, tattoos and other symbols worn by the band’s members. The march was described on its website as «a collective statement from the Juggalo Family to the world about what we are and what we are not.»
ICP was founded in 1989 and, despite disdain from many in response the group’s crude and sometimes violent lyrics, developed a considerable and dedicated following of Juggalos. (The term derives from a 1992 ICP song, as NPR’s Tanya Ballard Brown reported.)
In a 2011 report, the FBI classified Juggalos as a «loosely-organized hybrid gang» following violent incidents allegedly committed by fans of ICP. Juggalos, in tandem with the ACLU, sued the government in 2014, claiming Juggalos’ «constitutional rights to expression and association were violated» by the FBI’s classification. The case was first dismissed then later reinstated.
The Juggalos say the gang label has, through unfair discrimination, made it difficult to live a normal life for many of their members, some of whom were scheduled to speak on stage in Washington on Saturday as part of the effort to express their anger to the FBI.
«We are taking our [sic] fight to the streets. Literally,» said a statement on the «Juggalo March» website.
As for politics, however, the «Insane Clown Posse and most Juggalos consider themselves very apolitical,» pop culture writer Nathan Rabin told NPR’s Scott Simon .
By the account of reporters from NPR and WAMU present on the national mall, the crowds at all three events were enthusiastic but modest in size.
The pro-Trump «Mother of All Rallies» featured a float with signs saying «secure our borders» and «drain the swamp» and drew some prominent names from the so-called alt-right, including Jack Posobiec. The rally’s organizers wrote on their websites that Confederate flags and racism would not be allowed, clearly hoping to distinguish themselves from the march of white supremacists that turned deadly last month in Charlottesville, Va.
Nevertheless, as NPR’s Windsor Johnston reported, some counterprotesters attempted to tie the MOAR rally to Charlottesville, including one who held a sign featuring an image of the woman killed by a motorist there.
Officials kept all three protests far from each other, which, along with a heavy police presence, appeared to keep the Saturday events peaceful, reported WAMU ‘s Sasha-Ann Simmons.

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Noisy demonstrators marched through an upscale shopping mall Saturday to protest the acquittal of a white former St. Louis police officer in the fatal shooting of a black man, pickup up after…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Noisy demonstrators marched through an upscale shopping mall Saturday to protest the acquittal of a white former St. Louis police officer in the fatal shooting of a black man, pickup up after a night of mostly peaceful demonstrations that escalated into scattered acts of vandalism and violence.
A few hundred people walked through West County Center in Des Peres loudly chanting slogans such as «black lives matter» and «it is our duty to fight for our freedom» to decry the judge’s verdict Friday clearing ex-St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley of first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith.
Susanna Prins, 27, of University City, showed up at a meeting to plan the action carrying a sign stating, «White silence is violence.»
«I feel helpless and I feel just rage,» Prins said. «Not saying or doing anything makes you complicit in the brutalization of our friends and neighbors.»
Smith’s death is just one of several high-profile U. S. cases in recent years in which a white officer killed a black suspect, including the 2014 killing of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson that sparked months of angry and sometimes violent protests.
Republican Gov. Eric Greitens was highly critical during his 2016 campaign of how former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon managed the Ferguson protests, suggesting that with the right presence and leadership there could have been peace by the second night.
In advance of the Stockley verdict, Greitens met with Smith’s fiancée, black state lawmakers, black St. Louis faith leaders and law enforcement in the hopes of projecting a shared message that peaceful protest would be tolerated but violence wouldn’t.
Before the verdict, Greitens put the National Guard on standby, and some troops were deployed Friday night to guard fire stations and other «critical infrastructure» that Greitens didn’t specify. He was in St. Louis Friday night and met with local law enforcement officials.
Police erected barricades around their own headquarters and the courthouse and dozens of officers in flak jackets and helmets who wielded batons and shields corralled demonstrators throughout the day and evening.
Demonstrators occasionally lobbed objects into the fortified line of officers, who used pepper spray to repel the crowd.
Tensions flared several times, including when protesters blocked a bus full of riot officers, damaged a police cruiser with rocks and later broke a window and spattered red paint on the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson.
After a tense standoff at the mayor’s home, police used tear gas to clear the area.
Police said they made nearly two-dozen arrests before dark and more in the evening, though they still hadn’t provided an updated figure more than 12 hours later.
Police reported that 10 officers suffered injuries by the end of the night, including a broken jaw and dislocated shoulder, and some journalists reported being having equipment damaged and being threatened by protesters.
Anticipating more demonstrations Saturday, the band U2 canceled its evening concert in St. Louis because the police department said it wouldn’t be able to provide its standard protection for the event, organizers said.
The civil disobedience followed the acquittal of Stockley for fatally shooting Smith after the suspected drug dealer crashed his car after leading the officer in a chase.
Stockley testified that he saw the 24-year-old holding a silver revolver as he sped away and felt he was in imminent danger as he was approaching the vehicle later.
Prosecutors said Stockley planted a gun in Smith’s car after the shooting — Stockley’s DNA was on the weapon but Smith’s wasn’t. Dashcam video from Stockley’s cruiser captured him saying he was «going to kill this (expletive), don’t you know it.» Less than a minute later, he shot Smith five times.
Stockley’s lawyer dismissed the comment as «human emotions» uttered during a dangerous pursuit and the judge said it could be ambiguous.
St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson said prosecutors didn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Stockley murdered Smith or that the officer didn’t act in self-defense.
In an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after the verdict, Stockley, 36, said he understands how video of the shooting looks bad, but that he did nothing wrong.
«I can feel for and I understand what the family is going through, and I know everyone wants someone to blame, but I’m just not the guy,» said Stockley, who left St. Louis’ police force in 2013 and moved to Houston.
___
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Alabama Republican Rep. Mo Brooks is throwing his support behind former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore in the state’s Senate primary runoff against Sen. Luther Strange following the congressman’s stinging loss in the first round of primary voting last month.
Strange is the favorite of the Republican establishment and is the candidate of choice for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to hold onto the seat held for two decades by Jeff Sessions, now attorney general.
President Donald Trump endorsed Strange before the primary, tweeting, «Senator Luther Strange has done a great job representing the people of the Great State of Alabama. He has my complete and total endorsement!»
Brooks took 20% of the vote in the initial ballot August 15, while Strange received 33% and Moore 39%.
Brooks declined to endorse either candidate after losing in August. However, in his conciliatory comments he appeared to speak more highly of Moore than Strange.
«I want to compliment Judge Roy Moore on the high quality race he ran,» Brooks said to supporters at the time. «He ran a very honest campaign — perhaps most importantly, a very honorable campaign.»
Brooks’ endorsement highlights a rift within the Republican Party between the GOP establishment and the conservative wing Moore is counting on.
«We must be strong during the 10 days left before the election,» Brooks said in his remarks Saturday. «The Strange/ McConnell forces care not one twit about truth; they freely use malicious lies in their non-stop, scorched earth, campaign of personal destruction.»
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin also both recently endorsed Moore.

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British police made an apparent breakthrough Saturday in the race-against-time subway bombing investigation with what they called a «very significant» arrest, but the country remained on a…
LONDON (AP) — British police made an apparent breakthrough Saturday in the race-against-time subway bombing investigation with what they called a «very significant» arrest, but the country remained on a «critical» alert, meaning that another attack is judged imminent.
Police arrested an 18-year-old man in the port of Dover — the main ferry link to France — and then launched a massive armed search in the southwestern London suburb of Sunbury in which they evacuated residents, established a huge cordon and imposed a no-fly zone above the property being searched.
Police did not say that they had nabbed the man believed to have planted the bomb that partially exploded on a crowded London subway train Friday morning, but Home Secretary Amber Rudd and others said the arrest was of major importance.
The man is being held under the Terrorism Act and has been brought to London for questioning. His identity is a closely guarded secret and police have implored the press not to speculate while the inquiry unfolds. Authorities would not say if they thought the man was trying to flee to France on a Dover ferry.
It’s clear that Britain’s police and security services are still worried. Hundreds of soldiers patrolled public areas Saturday, freeing up police for the bombing investigation. Rudd said the country’s terror threat level — which was raised Friday night to the highest possible level — will stay there until the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Center is convinced the threat of imminent attack has eased.
The homemade bomb on the rush-hour train only partially detonated — Rudd said it could have been much worse — and there are fears that accomplices may have similar devices. Experts said the bomb could have caused many fatalities if it had functioned properly. Three of the 29 people injured by the blast remained hospitalized Saturday.
Rudd, frustrated by the string of terrorist attacks in recent months, said officials will have to work harder to make bomb components more difficult to obtain.
«(We must) «make sure to take all steps that we can to ensure the sort of materials that this man was able to collect» are harder to find, she said.
The fast-moving inquiry shifted to the pleasant town of Sunbury, where neighbors were ordered to evacuate immediately by police.
Mojgan Jamali, who lives near the house being searched, said police gave her «one minute» to pack.
«I was in my house with my children and there was a knock at the door from the police. They told me to leave. They said ‘You have one minute to get out of the house and get away,'» she said. «I just got out. I got my three children and we left the house and the street.»
Some neighbors were crying and many said they had no idea when they would be able to return to their homes. Police gave many shelter and food at a nearby sports club.
Police did not reveal details about the search, but the precautions suggested concern that there might be explosives or violent extremists on the property. The Islamic State group has claimed one of its units planted the bomb.
Security at seaports and airports had been increased after the attack. Officials have hinted there may be more than one person involved, but haven’t released details.
Police are combing through closed-circuit TV images and have extensively studied the remains of the partially detonated explosive device, which was contained in a bucket with wires hanging out of it and concealed in a plastic shopping bag.
The train hit by the bomber at Parsons Green station in southwest London had video cameras in each car, and the London Underground network has thousands of cameras at the entrances to stations and along its labyrinth of subterranean and above-ground passageways.
The Parsons Green station was reopened Saturday, restoring some normalcy to London’s transport network after a day of severe disruption. There was no sign of panic among Londoners and the weekend life of the multicultural city continued undeterred.
Premier League soccer games and London Fashion Week proceeded as usual, with an increased security presence, although animal rights activists did disrupt those trying to enter the Burberry fashion show Saturday night in central London.
Britain has endured four other attacks this year, which have killed a total of 36 people. The other attacks in London — near Parliament, on London Bridge and near a mosque in Finsbury Park in north London — used vehicles and knives.
In addition, a suicide bomber struck a packed concert hall in Manchester in northern England, killing 22 people. That attack in May also briefly caused the threat level to be set at «critical.»
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