Shoefiti

As I made mention way back in my first post about our trip to Philly, I noticed tennis shoes tossed over power lines.

I knew I remembered this from a movie my children watched when they were younger, a basketball player and a local young player?? I don’t remember, but I also know I have heard since that it signifies a gang area. Traveler said she heard that it meant you could buy drugs in that area. I found it entertaining though. Scattered throughout the city tennis shoes were hanging. Most the time we were on them before I had a chance to grab the camera – I don’t know why it intrigued me, but it became a joke, too, every time I saw them hanging.

As we did a pre-drive through the neighborhood of one potential room to rent, beyond the broken down cars, the rough neighborhood inhabitants and the hard core urban jungle feel, we saw the shoes hanging! Nope not here.

Since I am not one to run too fast with iffy information, I have googled about the hanging shoes. I found many ideas about the shoes tossed over the lines:

tennis shoes hanging over a power line meant you could buy crack there.

It's a time-honored tradition to throw your sneakers over the power lines on the last day of school.

Either they're meant to increase visibility for low-flying aircraft, frighten rattlesnakes away, or just for the hell of it.

a gang sign — sneakers hanging over telephone or electrical wires were to designate gang turf.

a former shoe thrower. After getting a new pair of sneakers, it was a common ritual in my neighborhood to tie the shoelaces of your old pair together and throw them up on the telephone wires. What else are you going to do with your old pair of sneakers?

Some neighborhoods it signifies the death of someone

A rite of passage for a forthcoming marriage

In Scotland, it possibly announces to a young man’s friends that he has lost his...well you know . . . .

Either they're meant to increase visibility for low-flying aircraft, frighten rattlesnakes away, or just for the hell of it.

What a list, from the sinister, to the sad, to jubilant to just ornery...

I like to think that in Philly, it just added to the use of art that was so prevalent throughout the city. So I think Shoefiti is the perfect title for shoes on a power line. So go express yourself, give 'em something to talk about, toss some shoes! Well maybe not, you might have some unwanted visitors . . .

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