Why do people hang shoes over powerlines?

Question

In my neighbourhood on powerlines, people hang pairs of shoes over them. If they are sheos with laces they ties the laces together and if they are high heels or sometihng they use a bti of string.

I was wondering if anyone knew of this meant sometihng like it was some type of sign?

Hope someone can help. Please only helpful answers!

Xoxo

Answer 1

It is a gang symblism which I heard means that drugs are sold nearby. However, I think it means something else because who would want to notify the police that they are selling drugs there?

Answer 2

That means the there is someone selling drugs, or that it is a good place to buy them.

Answer 3

Here are reasons given from Wikipedia:

Some say that shoes hanging from the wires advertise a local crack house where crack cocaine is used and sold (in which case the shoes are sometimes referred to as "Crack Tennies"). It can also relate to a place where Heroin is sold to symbolize the fact that once you take Heroin you can never 'leave': a reference to the addictive nature of the drug. Others claim that the shoes so thrown commemorate a gang-related murder, or the death of a gang member, or as a way of marking gang turf.[1] A newsletter from the mayor of Los Angeles, California cites fears of many Los Angeles residents that "these shoes indicate sites at which drugs are sold or worse yet, gang turf," and that city and utility employees had launched a program to remove the shoes.[2] These explanations have the ring of urban legend to them, especially since the practice also occurs along relatively remote stretches of rural highways that are unlikely scenes for gang murders or crack houses.

Other, less sinister, explanations have been ventured for the practice. Some[who?] claim that shoes are flung to commemorate the end of a school year, or a forthcoming marriage as part of a rite of passage. In Scotland, it has been said that when a young man has lost his virginity he tosses his shoes over telephone wires to announce this to his peers[citation needed]. It has been suggested that the custom may have originated with members of the military, who are said to have thrown military boots, often painted orange or some other conspicuous color, at overhead wires as a part of a rite of passage upon completing basic training or on leaving the service.[citation needed] Others claim that the shoes are stolen from other people and tossed over the wires as a sort of bullying tactic, or as a practical joke played on drunkards.[citation needed] Others simply say that shoe flinging is a way to get rid of shoes that are no longer wanted, are uncomfortable, or do not fit.[citation needed] It may also be another manifestation of the human instinct to leave their mark on, and decorate, their surroundings.

Answer 4

you've got ghetto neighbors. It's an invitation to buy drugs

Answer 5

It depends on the area.  In my city, shoes on a powerline signifies that drugs can be bought and sold at that street corner.

In Kansas City, it means that a gang banger has been assaulted or killed and it signifies a "win" over a rival gang.

Answer 6

That's a good question! Years ago in Brooklyn, New York kids would throw Chuck Taylor's over the lines and I always thought it was just for fun but I was reading that some people do it to pin point a crack house near by. I would like to think that they were just doing it for fun.  

Answer 7

CAUSE ITS A GANG THING ITS LIKE MARKING YOUR TERRITORY...I WOULD RATHER HAVE SHOES ON MY POWERLINES THEN MY ALLEY WAY ALL TAGGED UP AN SMELLING LIKE OLD 40 OZS

Answer 8

I only know this as an old custom to announce that a person close to you has died. It is the deceased person shoes you toss on the line. Apparently everyone else comes from crack neighborhoods n if you think about it a lot of druggies n dealers die in their neighborhoods. Hope this helps you!