Friends stand united
Encyclopedia
Friends Stand United 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.
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. 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. 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.
James and FSU were featured on National Geographic TV and the History Channel's Gangland series, and in Rolling Stone
magazine.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
which is classified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) as a street gang, a distinction that FSU members deny. It is an anti-racist
Anti-racism
Anti-racism includes beliefs, actions, movements, and policies adopted or developed to oppose racism. In general, anti-racism is intended to promote an egalitarian society in which people do not face discrimination on the basis of their race, however defined...
group which includes members of various ethnicities, but is predominantly white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
.
Elgin James
Elgin James
Elgin James is a filmmaker, musician and a former member of Friends Stand United , a Boston, Massachusetts area group in the early 1990s. FSU has been classified by several law enforcement agencies as a gang, a distinction that James and FSU deny....
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
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
gangs from punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
concerts.
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. Many East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
hardcore bands, especially those in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Philadelphia and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, 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. 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
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
and Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School, also known as Suffolk Law School or SULS, is one of the professional graduate schools of Suffolk University. Suffolk University Law School is a private, non-sectarian, law school located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Suffolk University Law School was founded in...
) 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
Suicide prevention
Suicide prevention is an umbrella term for the collective efforts of local citizen organizations, mental health practitioners and related professionals to reduce the incidence of suicide....
and local orphanages). James currently denies involvement with FSU, however he was arrested on July 14, 2009 on extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
charges relating to his affiliation with the group five years prior.
James and FSU were featured on National Geographic TV and the History Channel's Gangland series, and in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine.