Why do people put shoes on the power lines? [Explained]
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Have you ever wondered what does it mean when you see sneakers hanging from power lines? and kind of felt like what does hanging shoes mean? is it something going on with that methodology? What is the reason for shoes on power lines?
Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry !! I’m here to explain everything about why do people put shoes on power lines?
But there are so many different aspects to see things, that’s why I recommend you to read to the end of this blog to understand fully.
In my personal experience I’ve seen shoe hanging on the wires in many places and I also asked people what does that mean than some said I did it to enojy my victory or some said It was just a fun.
But there must be more reason for this incident right?
Why Do People Put Pronouns In Their Bio?
So, If you already heard about this topic you should probably get so many questions on your mind too.
Because some people say it’s because of some sort of gang thing, some say it’s a sportsmen ship or some also say it’s a signal of drugs n all.
As far I know, It just depends on the situation and where you live, Like if you live in the UK, the case might be different than the other countries like the US, and Canada.
So in this article, we’ll give you a different overview along with some examples, which will help you understand better.
And still, you know something different or you are not quite actually agree with my perspective, let me know in the comment section below I’ll be happy to know your point of view.
Now, let’s know the shoes hanging from wires mean:
Why do people put shoes on power lines? Facts
First of all, if this is associated with the drug trade it didn’t originate with it since East Coast cities from the 1930s on. It is an inexplicable trend.
Basically, someone did it, someone else saw it and it spread from there. Therefore in some places, bullies do it, in others, sports teams do it. Some kids do it at the end of term others when their sneakers wear out.
But there is something more. Yes for sure!!
Mainly, shoes thrown over power lines meaning called shoe tossing. The idea behind it is that once you walk into a crackhouse, you’ll never be able to walk away.
I found one fellow who gave his experience on this question, He said:
In gang neighborhoods, the shoes served as a discrete but highly visible directional sign to a crack house. You would toss the shoes on the power lines right in front of the crackhouse and if you were a friend you’d know that place is likely to sell crack.
Then you can go knock on the back door and put your $10 through the hole in the door.
So leave your shoes in front and come smoke this crack with me.
But, Nowadays it’s paying tribute to the old hip-hop tradition. It can serve as a street decoration, a rite of passage, or just wanting to put your favorite pair of shoes on display somewhere permanently.
The main reason for shoes on power lines
- Mean people/bullies toss someone else’s shoes up there
- Marks gang territory (not sure how they know what gang since the shoes could all be different)
- Marks a drug drop/place to get drugs
- There has been or will be a murder in the area
- Memorial for a dead friend.
- A tradition held by high school students on their last day of classes
- Indicate the location of a drug house.
- Victory for achievement.
- A way of getting rid of an old pair of shoes
- Just for the Hell of it.
The reason mostly depends on the different place and the one who throws it.
Since I’m not a bully, I don’t roam in gangs, and I don’t do drugs, and I’ve never done that by myself so I can’t verify any of those correctly.
Case: The city of Chicago keeps track of the pairs of shoes that people hang over the telephone or electric wires. It’s a big deal; so much so that some residents even request city workers to remove shoes hanging from the power lines. The shoes range from gym shoes to cowboy boots and everything in between was found there.
Meaning of shoes on power lines dead?
According to Urban Dictionary,
“Places where you see shoes that are thrown on a telephone wire indicate drug houses or places where you can purchase drugs.”
Shoe dangling/ flinging is the practice of throwing shoes whose laces have been tied together so that they hang from overhead power lines or telephone cables.
The practice, despite its widespread use, has been one of curiosity over the years as a number of possible explanations for the act have cropped up without any general consensus on its origins.
Annnnd … Boot throwing, or welly wanging, has been a competitive sport in New Zealand & Britain, although not one that is taken seriously.
Read more! Just wiki (Shoe tossing)
Are shoes on power lines meaning drugs?
Yes or maybe not at all!
In some cases people say, To see a pair of shoes dangling on a power line might be to promote a drug-dealing zone. you can check out the below article for more information.
Read Here:
>>> [Revealed] The real reason shoes are often placed on overhead wires in Australia – and it might be a sign to move out.
Or It might just mean someone with a pair of shoes no longer needed to tie them together and simply tossed them up there!
Sometimes it gets out of hand.
Too many can present a mass that could impact line connections, as the bottom lines are always optical, phone, and computer communications.
So you can’t exactly be sure about what’s going on.
Why do people throw shoes on power lines? [ Incident ]
One caller from Sydney Australia, said that:
When male teenagers lose their virginity, they tie the laces together and fling their sneakers up on a telephone line. Thus, the shoes celebrate the momentous occasion in the young man’s life.
Perhaps the permanence of losing your shoes forever to the telephone lines is comparable to the permanent change one undergoes when losing their virginity — once it’s lost, you can never get it back.
Just for a shake!! 😆😆😆
MORE CASES
What do shoes hanging from a tree mean?
One guy on Quora said:
—- I’ve seen this on campus at Georgia Tech. I suspect that athletes who wear out their shoes do this to mark the event to celebrate all the work they have done, and the successes that they have had.
Similarly, I saw these somewhere on the south side of the road between Rockville and Virgin Utah. I suspect that hikers and canyoneers did this to celebrate their adventures and worn-out shoes. (It’s near Zion National Park, with some great trails, including scary high razorback ridges, and slot canyons with a small river at the bottom.)
Old running shoes hanging from trees and power lines are often believed to be people trying to forgo their past or as memory lives by leaving something of themselves behind; namely, their shoes.
Jordans hanging from power lines incidents
Generally, The shoes which were thrown on the power lines were the Nike AF1 and the Jordan that got this treatment, but as far as I’ve seen everything from track sneakers, low and high tops, Pony sneakers, Nike Air max 90′s, Adidas high tops, Osiris D3’s, Patrick Ewing 33 highs, Converse, Timberland’s, and even worn out Red Wing work boots hanging from the lines.
You can pretty much get anything and everything on those lines nowadays.
From what I know, these days it’s all about adding to what’s already there — the same idea as adding a rock to a pile or another lock to a metal bridge kind of thing.
Also been suggested that it’s to show a “moving on” from the old to the new when one pair of sneakers reaches the end of their lives and the owner gets a new pair, the old ones get hung out to dry.
Shoe tossing meaning [ Explained ]
Take it as it is, quoted from Wikipedia but similarly mentioned on other websites.
“Shoe tossing, the act of using shoes as projectiles or improvised weapons, is a constituent of a number of folk sports and practices. Today, it is commonly the act of throwing a pair of shoes onto telephone wires, power lines, or other raised wires. A related practice is a shoe tossing onto trees or fences.
Urban legends tell that the shoes represent the location where a gang murder or hit took place. In urban areas, it can serve to signal that a drug dealer is nearby or one can purchase drugs in that area.
Nevertheless, the main reason for dangling shoes on high wires is for recreational or trivial purposes, usually as a prank played by bullies and drinkers. Thrown shoes may also symbolize local culture or traditions of some sort.”
Personally I always just assumed it was someone trying to see if they could do it, maybe a challenge from a friend to see who could get it up there or something. 😋😋😋
Conclusion
Lastly, I just want to share a little story of my own.
I had a friend a few years younger than me, who asked me this question one day.
He Asked: Shoes on power lines mean drugs or gang violence? I laughed until I realized he was serious.
See we lived in a small Oilfield town and gangs are rather non-existent and since it was here, where he saw the shoes and asked, I pointed that out.
I believe at one time the gangs in big cities did use markers (such as shoes on a wire) to outline Their respective territory but to me, it would seem stupid to have a blatant signal to announce criminal activity, like waving a red flag and yelling “hey I sale drugs and drug accessories or my gang and I commit criminal actions right here!”