origins of the shoes-and-electric wires (shoe flinging)

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 guess it depends on your definition of "nice" shoes..

Apparently there are a lot of possible origins and meanings for this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_tossing

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 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

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.

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.