What's Bill Morton know that we don't? Bill seems to think when there's a pair of hanging tennis shoes from the electrical lines, that's a sign a drug house is near. More specific, a crack den.
* These shoes are hanging at Touhy and Glenwood, on the east side of the EL tracks.
I've never heard of such advertising. Bill, we know your blog is mainly a photo blog, but could you please explain exactly how you know about this secret tennis shoe code crack house advertising campaign.
16 comments:
It's actually true that hanging shoes can be the sign of a drug house nearby. But in some parts of the country it's also used as a signal that you are entering into a certain gang's "turf". So, it could be either or both reasons...
Our city's drug task force actually had a clean-up day where they went around and took all the hanging shoes down. Sometimes there's more than one pair of hanging shoes and I suppose that has significance, but I don't know the specifics.
Sounds like an urban legend. I first heard that several years ago while in college in another city living in a similar high crime neighborhood. You'd see shoes hanging from power lines all over. If that is their way of secretly advertising a crack house, it's not much of a secret (I'm not exactly in the market for crack, but I've heard that rumor before).
There's no need to mark a crack house like that around here. Everyone knows if you want to buy crack, just walk over to Morse Ave. I had a man solicit a bag of some sort of white powder substance the last time I walked by the liqour store.
Yup, and the crack house if in your home craig - aren't those shoes right ouside your door?
On 10/07/07 at 12:51pm, I spotted these new, never worn or even laced white Nike's hanging from the electrical lines on Touhy and Glenwood.
"when there's a pair of hanging tennis shoes from the electrical lines, that's a sign a drug house is near".
Source:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Xjk7ItoO9wMJ:www.citypages.com/detail.asp%3FArticleID%3D12400+crack+shoes+gang+chicago+%22electrical+wire%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
I have also photographed "crack tennies", on Ridge near Chase and in the alley behind Park Gyros beside Touhy Park.
Behind Parkside Gyros is a row of single family homes occupied by hardwoking, taxpaying citizens who lovingly care for their community
as well as their homes. Their is no "Crack House" on Jarivs betwnn Clark and Ridge!
I never heard such a ridiculous statement!
ahhhh the memories of shoe tossing. I was a victim back in jr high of having shoes stripped off me and thrown in a tree (older kids in a group - what can ya do). Anyways shoe tossing is everywhere and not just in 'black' communities. A lot of it, I would venture to say, is pranks on people or the kids themselves throwing their own old shoes up there. No doubt that they can also be signals for drug activity as well as prostitution etc. I also heard it may be like a shrine for someone who was killed in the area. But as the previous poster mentioned, why the need to advertise for drugs. It is already very easy to acquire. This would only serve to alert police to the area.
MadeInRogersPark,
I'm sure what you say about the homeowners is true, but the "crack tennies" were behind Parkside Gyros right next to Touhy Park.
My guess is that the Latin Kings are dealing drugs at Touhy Park.
Source: http://bp1.blogger.com/_3lH1XYQ9xpU/Rv3t9xWjSSI/AAAAAAAAC-g/TPj0l7OHzSk/s1600/Rogers%2BPark%2Bwalk%2B21.JPG
sneaks on the wires
blood on the tracks
that's funny; in the early '60s, it was a common bully prank.
and the pic with 4 pairs must really be a big dope corner, where the dealers compete like car companies with bigger and better advertisements to attract customers
Sparky,
Are you comparing drug dealers and gangbangers to cardealers?
Is the violence attached to the Rogers Park drug trade a joke to you?
This isn't the early 60's, throwing shoes around for fun.
no mort, i'm not laughing at the violence of drugs. i'm chuckling at the various theories that people ascribe to 'events' in their lives, and it reminds me of 'the life of brian'; 'no, it's the gourd'.....'no-no, it's his sandle'. 'blessed are the cheeze-makers? why the cheeze-makers?'
.....'he means the climate of the food industry in general'
i did another net search, and i found theories from the u.s., boys advertising their lost virginity, and around the world....
palestinians believe that shoes are dirty, and they throw them over the lines in the hopes that israelies will walk under them
if gorillas didn't exist, we'd invent them
For the record, I allow Sparky's moronic comments to stay because they are just so ridiculously, moronic.
ridiculously, moronic?
what, you joined mort in his lack of credible evidence pertaining to the meaning of sneak hangs?
Sparky,
I also looked up the possible meanings of what dangling shoes could mean.
My results, just like yours turned up many traditions and reasons for this.
But in this case, with the perfect condition of the brand new shoes, having never been worn or even laced ...
Well, you can find my research on dangling shoe traditions and explanation here:
http://rp1000.blogspot.com/2007/10/lets-take-closer-look-at-those-crack.html
For real life examples and pictures of how dangling tennis shoes, aka "crack tennies", mark crack houses and gang territory,
visit the following website:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Xjk7ItoO9wMJ:www.citypages.com/detail.asp%3FArticleID%3D12400+crack+shoes+gang+chicago+%22electrical+wire%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
I believe that anyone would accept the information on this link as credible evidence.
yes, i read that article the first time you posted it, and unless i'm missing something, i don't see the text of the picture in quotations. and i don't see the explanation in the article itself.
think about it; why would the dealers need to advertise to the druggies where the dope is being sold? the druggies are alrady in the loop, and they don't need to see someone's shingle.
and if the dealers move to another street, which they frequently do, do they hang more sneaks while leaving the others to confuse the cops or the out of towners?
Sorry - bit of a late response here. The "Straight Dope" guy -- you know the column from the Chicago Reader, if you read it -- wrote a column about it.
A good solution is to ask a cop -- they all have different answers. It appears that the "crack house" theory is kind of a load of crap, though maybe gangs/pushers have adopted the custom.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=urbanlegends&cdn=newsissues&tm=30&f=00&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_274.html
modags,
I did ask a police officer to identify various gang symbols in Rogers Park.
As we spoke on related topics, the subject of crack tennies came up.
This is how I learned of the dangling shoes on Touhy Avenue.
Post a Comment