It was founded in the late 1980s by Elgin James in Boston, Massachusetts, evolving out of the hardcore punk scene and in particular the straight edge subculture.
While originally having a reputation for fighting against Neo-Nazis and racist groups, in later years FSU members were accused and charged for unprovoked violence and intimidation tactics.
[3] The group is credited with expelling White supremacists, Neo-Nazi and other racist gangs from punk concerts in Boston in the late 1980s.
[4] According to Rolling Stone, FSU started out as "just another local [hardcore punk] crew", which were typically "fueled by young male aggression".
"[5] After fighting to eliminate the presence of Neo-Nazis from punk concerts in Boston, Elgin and other FSU members began robbing drug dealers.
[5] By the early 2000s, there were FSU chapters in Portland (Maine), Philadelphia, Chicago, Arizona, Los Angeles, Seattle, upstate New York, and New Jersey.
There is no clear agreement over the cause of the confrontation, though some media reports stated it was due to one of Morrison's friends wearing a shirt with a Confederate flag on it.
In March 2006, police searched 24 men standing outside a Seattle rock club, some wearing FSU clothing, and arrested four for carrying weapons.
In January, Lionel Bliss Jr., a member of FSU, was sentenced to five years for killing Matthew Carlo during a bar fight in Troy, New York.
While there is no clear agreement about the reason that altercation started, Bliss Jr. stated in court that Carlo "was responsible for someone else’s death in a vehicular homicide and was still out drinking.
"[14] 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.