Ghettos and telephone poles and shoes

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  • #6608

    Tyler
    Member
    why is it that in ghettos and 'hoods with a majority of black residents, you always see sneakers hanging off the telephone wires? I've seen it before in movies and stuff, and I've heard people talking about it, but I don't really understand it.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Tyler, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : bi-curious, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 14, City : St. Louis, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 
    #29497

    Kelly
    Member
    Maybe you just notice them more in some areas. Around here in Austin, there are sneakers hanging off telephone wires in every neighborhood in the city, especially near the high schools. All of them, even the whitest ones, even the rich neighborhoods. It seems to be a high school thing. So I don't think it's a black/ghetto thing; I think you are just more likely to be observing your surroundings in those neighborhoods, whereas you take for granted your own neighborhood and don't observe it so closely.

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    Name : Kelly, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Austin, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 
    #33166

    Jay
    Participant
    Well when I was in NYC we did that when we graduated either 6th grade or high school.

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    Name : Jay, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 34, City : Laughlin, State : NV Country : United States, Occupation : government, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #18867

    Stephanie
    Participant
    I've seen this in a primarily white 'beach' neighborhood in San Diego. I heard it had something to do with drug dealers. Or maybe kids were doing it to imitate the drug deal thing.

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    Name : Stephanie, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 50+, City : Any city, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #16057

    Tyler24931
    Participant
    Actually, around here (suburbs of st.louis) and even in the suburbs of Kansas City, I've never seen anything like that. And believe me, I've been to a lot of different neighborhoods. And also, my neighborhood and a lot of the others are fairly diverse when it comes to race and religion and whatnot. Somewhere I heard a little about this being more common, and that was even after I made that post. The reason I said black ghettos was because I've seen it in two or three movies mainly about black characters in black neighborhoods, etc. The times that I've heard people talking about it they were either talking about those movies, or real life black ghettos. So since the only times I heard about this happening it being in Black communities, thats what I asked about. I'm sorry if it came off offensive or ignorant, it was most definately not directed that way. In fact I have heard from one other person from this site in an email that the reason is that when one of the 'troublemakers'(his words not mine) get shot, the shock shoots their sneakers to the telephone wires. In fact it seems like it was sent in an email so that it wouldn't appear politically incorrect. Thank you for your reply, and once again I would like to say that I'm sorry but I wasn't really hiding from anything, its just a matter of the order things occur. -tyler

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    Name : Tyler24931, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : bi-curious, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 14, City : Ballwin, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 
    #19451

    Rick29858
    Participant
    I'm pretty sure this is addressed at these web sites: www.snopes.com and www.straightdope.com

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    Name : Rick29858, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Springfield, State : OH Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #24555

    Myya
    Participant
    It is really suppose to show that someone was killed in the neighborhood, but most of the time people just do it for no reason.

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    Name : Myya, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : Richmond, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, 
    #40938

    Melissa20785
    Participant
    I was attending a PTA meeting where the guest speaker was a local police officer speaking on gang violence. He told us it means 'drugs are sold here'.

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    Name : Melissa20785, City : Pensacola, State : FL Country : United States, 
    #47179

    Dan27133
    Participant
    A kid gets jumped and they take his shoes, join the laces and pitch them up at a telephone wire. It's happened everywhere from Great American novels based in the Deep South or New England on over to Watts.

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    Name : Dan27133, Gender : M, Race : Chicano, Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 23, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Future Social Scientist, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 
    #46020

    Tara
    Participant
    I live in a prodomenently white area, and there are many telephone poles where sneakers hang from. For you to say that it is only in black neighborhoods is completely untrue. What you see in movies ISN'T true all the time.

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    Name : Tara, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 17, City : Astoria, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 
    #34573

    Bob Harlan
    Member
    I grew up in Pittsburgh with Black and White kids alike. The tradition of throwing one's sneakers up on the wire was not race specific but may have been CITY vs RURAL specific. We never really knew how this whole tradition got started or anything but it had something to do with the end of a school year. The sneakers were mostly used for gym class and when school was done for the year you would take the old shoes, tie them in a knot and throw them up on the wire. Maybe it was a way of forcing your parents to buy you new ones or maybe it was a childish way of celebrating the end of the school year. Nevertheless, it was neither a black nor white thing, it was a kid thing.

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    Name : Bob Harlan, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 41, City : Cleveland Heights, State : OH Country : United States, Occupation : Systems Administrator, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 
    #29382

    hey!
    Member
    I live in a middle class neighboorhood and i have seen the same thing. It happens because bullies take kids shoes and throw them up there. it has nothing to do with black neighboorhoods because my area has more hispanic people then any other races..

    User Detail :  

    Name : hey!, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 16, City : hollywood, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 
    #24038

    Aj28982
    Participant
    I am not sure but from what I have been told about the sneakers on poles, it is a signal that you can get drugs in the area.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Aj28982, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 30, City : DC, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : writer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #45638

    Shannon
    Participant
    I was asking the same question. And in some places (many cities) shoes hanging from the telephone line means that there is drugs being sold in that area. Then again it could be just kiddie bullying crap.

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    Name : Shannon, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Irish, Japanese, Age : 18, City : Lex. Park, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : College-Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 
    #36336

    Angelica
    Participant
    its not always in the 'ghetto' you see sneakers hangin on the telephone wires, here in maryland we have a few sneakers hangin in my neighborhood, i'm filpino and i live in a perdomindatley(sp?) white neighborhood, also i heard that for the shoes that are hanging up on the telephone wires those were the shoes of someone who got killed in that area...but in my hood no one has gotten killed...so i dunno...

    User Detail :  

    Name : Angelica, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 18, City : lexington park, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 
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