Friends Stand United (FSU) is an American
anti-fascist
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers wer ...
,
anti-racist
Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...
, and anti-drug group. It was founded in the late 1980s by
Elgin James in
Boston, Massachusetts, evolving out of the
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
scene and in particular the
straight edge subculture. While originally having a reputation for fighting against
Neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack ...
s and racist groups, in later years FSU members were accused of unprovoked violence and intimidation tactics. The group is classified by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...
(FBI) as a
street gang
A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collective ...
.
History
FSU grew out of the
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
scene in
Boston, Massachusetts, in the late 1980s. The group consisted primarily of members of the
straight edge subculture, and while people of all races were allowed to join, members were predominantly
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
.
[ The group is credited with expelling ]White supremacists
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...
, Neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack ...
and other racist gangs from punk concerts in Boston in the late 1980s. According to ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', FSU started out as "just another local ardcore punkcrew", which were typically "fueled by young male aggression".[ According to Elgin James, one of the founding members, FSU "never really had a political agenda. It was more of a visceral reaction: ‘You're gonna call me a nigger? I'm gonna bash your face in with this fucking brick'."][ After successfully eliminating the presence of Neo-Nazis from punk concerts in Boston, Elgin and other FSU members then turned their attention on drug dealers, robbing them and giving half their money to charity.
FSU is said to have "fizzled out" after racists became less prominent in the hardcore scene, and has been described as reemerging in the mid 1990s with no clear agenda.] The group began to get a reputation for becoming "the intimidating, bullying presence they once fought against". They were accused of violently confronting anyone they believed had crossed them, and of taking over and policing concerts.[ FSU officially stands for "Friends Stand United", however, in the punk scene it was more frequently known as "Fuck Shit Up".][
By the early 2000s, there were FSU chapters in Philadelphia, Chicago, Arizona, Los Angeles, Seattle, ]upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York (state), New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upsta ...
and New Jersey, and they were considered to have about 200 members.[ In 2004, FSU produced an official documentary film entitled ''Boston Beatdown Volume II''; they previously released an underground video entitled ''Boston Beatdown''. The film interviews members including James and discusses the group's formation. According to ''Rolling Stone'', the film contains "disturbing footage of violent beatings in and around Boston clubs, ostensibly by members of FSU". The ]Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...
, which classified FSU as a street gang in 2009, states that James and other FSU members "boast" about their violent methods in the film and are shown repeatedly assaulting people at hardcore punk rock concerts and on Boston streets. James has stated that FSU is different from other outlaw organizations as they are not concerned with profiting from activities.[ Any involvement with selling guns, drugs or prostitution will result in members being removed from the group. He insisted the group was a collection of individuals, though was described as the closest person they have to a leader.][
Throughout 2005, FSU members were accused of using violence and intimidation to control hardcore punk events in Seattle on several occasions, including threatening the band Dangers over a song they had written which criticized FSU's violence and intimidation tactics; Dangers cancelled one of their concerts following threats from FSU over the song. In response to these incidents, a group of Seattle venues, bands and bookers were reported to be discussing ways to resist the group; there were calls for a complete boycott.][ In February 2005, six men with ties to FSU, including the president of the upstate New York chapter, were arrested following a thirty-six-year-old man being bashed to death at a concert in New York; charges were later dropped against three of the members. That December, an FSU member was shot and killed in Arizona.][ According to the '']Arizona Daily Star
The ''Arizona Daily Star'' is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States.
History
L. C. Hughes was the Arizona Territory governor and founder of the ''Arizona Star' ...
'', armed FSU members had invaded a concert and attacked patrons, one of whom ran to his car where he retrieved a firearm and shot an FSU member who had been chasing him.[ In March 2006, a Seattle police spokesperson stated there were three incidents of FSU members attacking strangers for no apparent reason in recent months, and several complaints of FSU members assaulting people in a local club. In March 2006, police searched 24 men standing outside a Seattle rock club, some wearing FSU clothing, and arrested four for carrying weapons.][ In 2007, FSU member Alex Franklin was arrested and charged with the murder of James Morrison, following a confrontation at a punk concert in New Jersey. There is no clear agreement over the cause of the confrontation, though some media reports claimed it was due to one of Morrison's friends wearing a shirt with a ]Confederate flag
The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...
on it.
Elgin James left FSU in 2007, stating he had "been thinking a lot about violence and responsibility" since being interviewed regarding his involvement with the group by ''Rolling Stone'' earlier that year.[ At the time he was the last original founding member, with previous members having left and moved on to motorcycle clubs like the ]Outlaws
An outlaw is a person living outside the law.
Outlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to:
Film and television Film
* ''The Outlaws'' (1950 film), an Italian crime film
* ''Outlaws'' (1985 film), a French film
* ''The Outlaws'' (2017 film), a Sou ...
and the Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
.[Catalano, Debbie, “Elgin James: Truth and Fiction”, ''Soundcheck'' magazine (November 2003), pp. 14-16] In 2011, James was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for attempting to extort $5,000 from an unidentified member of the band Mest in 2005. The Mest member had been targeted and beaten by FSU several times, and Elgin approached him saying the attacks could stop if he made a $5,000 donation to FSU. Upon being sentenced, Elgin stated he had faced his "day of reckoning. ... I have accepted responsibility for my past."
References
{{skinhead
Gangs in Massachusetts
Anti-racist organizations in the United States
Street gangs
American vigilantes
History of Boston
Punk gangs