Get Brooklynian.com by Email! 
Grab the Feed (RSS)Brooklynian » Forum » Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens »
-
does anyone have any idea when it became cool to attach shoes by their laces to electrical wires? is this some sort of prank? i see adult-size shoes in decent shape thrown over electric wires.
-
Sneakers on light poles, electric lines, etc. are a long time NY thing. I've heard that they were a signal of places where drugs were available for purchase. Other urban tales were that guys threw up their sneakers when they lost their virginity. Some also claim that they are a sign of gang activity. Who knows why they do it, but its been going on for at least the last 40-50 years as far as I know. Its actually become one of those things that is no longer unique to NY. Where are you from that you've never seen it before?
-
What homeowner says. That's been going on in Brooklyn since before recorded history. Most of the wires are either phone, cable or a temporary electrical shunt from one street lamp to another of minor voltage. (If that's what has your feathers ruffled.) However in some cities I understand it to be an indication of drug availability. Baltimore comes to mind, but I'm not sure.
-
i own a cell phone and poach wireless, so i'm not feather-ruffled over the destruction of property. and yes, i've seen it in other locales. i think it's odd to essentially throw away nice shoes. i guess most 12-year-olds have grown into their permananet shoe size. i'm not sure i believe it is a sign of drug availability. why would dealers make it so easy for cops to find them? the only thing dumber would be to deal on st johns and franklin.
-
I guess it depends on your definition of "nice" shoes.. -
I always heard to was a tribute to friends that died."...you can choose the rain....but I choose the sun..." - N. Costa
-
Apparently there are a lot of possible origins and meanings for this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_tossing
-
I always thought it was kids stealing other kids shoes and tossing them up as a cruel prank. This is based on no real knowledge or evidence whatsoever.
-
I always thought the shoes actually grew on the wires, and were harvested once a year sometime in early fall. Though I could never figure out why we import nearly all our shoes from China and Southeast Asia, given the preponderance on electrical/cable wires around these parts. Help support local kids - buy locally grown shoes!
-
Growing up in the Bronx and the West Village in the 1960's, it was common knowledge {then} that the shoes marked the loss of virginity for the owner.
-
Growing up in South Brooklyn in the 60's 70's, it was usually on lamposts, and we always associated it with a drug spot, but in the years since it has been related to everything mentioned above. My best friend growing up takes his kids to the corner everytime they outgrow a pair, and they toss them up together, kind of a "growing older" moment, or rite of passage
-
sorry dont know how to do this image stuff- thats what I get trying to be cool-
-
I've seen shoes like that a few times in my hometown.I used to think that somebody was acting stupid and felt like throwing their old shoes up to hang off the wires so they can laugh , point at them and tell brag to their friends saying , "look at what I did! Those are my shoes-YEAH!!" What gets on my nerves is when someone goes to try and swing on the swing set at the neighborhood park and find that some idiot thought it would be funny to toss one or more of the swings up over and over and over the pole, until it is hanging too high for most people to get it back down."Some people make their goals the stars,
They may live and die never reaching them,
but in the darkness of the night, those stars will guide them to their destination,because they put them in their sights." -
It means you can score drugs there.
-
in the college town I attended, we would throw the shoes of people who passed out on our floor over nearby electrical wires. Alcohol justice.For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
Welcome! Please log in to post, or register a new account!