Friends Stand United
| Founded by | Elgin James |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Years active | Late 1980s - present |
| Territory | United States, Australia, Canada, North East England |
| Ethnicity | Multi-ethnic |
| Allies | Straight Edge, Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice, Anti-Racist Action |
Friends Stand United (FSU) is a national organization rooted in the hardcore scene. The group is classified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a street gang,[1] a classification which FSU members deny.[2] Its founder claims it is an anti-racist group.[3]
Founding
Elgin James founded FSU, which originally stood for "Fuck Shit Up", in the late 1980s in Boston, Massachusetts. He claims that he formed FSU to attack, beat and purge drug dealers and violent White supremacist, Neo-nazi and other various racist gangs from punk rock concerts.[3]
Activities
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.[4]
Alleged criminal activity
Founder Elgin James was sentenced to one year and one day of prison by U.S. District Judge Suzanne B. Conlon in Chicago on March 8, 2011 for attempting to extort $5,000 from Tony Lovato, a Chicago-area musician who was the target of beatings by FSU.[5] [6] James was released on March 16, 2012.[7] The founding core of FSU eventually splintered, with a large section moving on to motorcycle gangs like the Outlaws and later the Mongols.[8]
Charitable work
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James and other founding members established the Foundation Fund, which set up scholarships at Berklee College of Music and Suffolk University Law School in the names of FSU members who had died.[citation needed] The fund also holds yearly benefit concerts to raise money for charities that reflect "hardcore punk culture" (teen homelessness, anti gun-violence, suicide prevention and local orphanages).[citation needed]
References
- ^ "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". FBI. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
- ^ "Four Stabbed, Twenty Arrested at Firefest 2014". MetalSucks. 2014-04-21. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
- ^ 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". Federal Bureau of Investigation. July 14, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ "Friends Stand Charged". Thestranger.com. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ "Elgin Nathan James, Gang Leader Turned Filmmaker, Sentenced For Extortion In Chicago". Huffington Post. March 9, 2011.
- ^ Sweeney, Annie (March 8, 2011). "Ex-gang leader earns accolades at Sundance, then sentenced for extortion". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
- ^ "Inmate Locator". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ Catalano, Debbie, “Elgin James: Truth and Fiction”, Soundcheck magazine (November 2003), pp. 14-16