Shoefiti, the act of throwing shoes onto telephone wires or power lines, is a mysterious and possibly dangerous phenomenon with various theories about its origins and meanings. Some suggest it began as a military tradition or a college fraternity ritual, while others connect it to drug houses or gang activity. Some cities are considering making shoefiti illegal due to the cost of removal and potential damage to vehicles.
Many drivers and pedestrians have noticed pairs of shoes being thrown onto telephone wires or sneakers hanging from power lines, but few people have ever witnessed the actual shoe-throwing phenomenon known as shoefiti. Shoefiti, a slang word formed from “shoe” and “graffiti,” was coined in the mid-1990s to describe the mysterious and possibly dangerous act of shoe throwing.
Ideally, a shoefite artist will wait until late at night to throw a pair of lace-up shoes on a low wire. With any luck, the shoes will wrap around the string and stay there indefinitely. Realistically, however, a standard pair of tennis shoes can only hang around for a few days before being removed by a workman or the laces rotting away from exposure to the elements.
Because the practice of shoefiti is shrouded in so much mystery, several theories about its meaning and origins have emerged over the years. Some sources suggest that members of the military would often throw their combat boots over a power line or telephone wire to celebrate their last days of active service. While shoefite incidents are sometimes connected with such “rites of passage,” it may not have been a widespread practice in the military.
Another theory behind the meaning of shoefiti has to do with other ‘rites of passage’. Some believe that the shoe-throwing ritual began with college fraternity members who wanted to commemorate a sexual conquest. Others say that the original shoefiti ritual meant graduation from school or a wedding celebration.
As the Shoefite phenomenon began appearing in larger cities, many more ominous rumors became popular urban legends. A persistent rumor is that shoefiti designates places where illegal drugs are sold. Seeing a number of shoes dangling from the strings tended to suggest a crime problem in the neighborhood. The connection between Shoefites and well-known drug houses is tenuous at best, however, as drug dealers often change their advertising campaigns to thwart law enforcement.
Another urban legend concerning shoefites is that the shoes represent gang activity, particularly a memorial to fallen members or a territorial claim. The type of shoes a Shoefite artist uses is also said to have a certain meaning, although the meaning varies from place to place. Some sources suggest that the origins of shoefites are not as sinister as the gang association. The shoes may have been ripped off by a classmate and thrown onto wires as a form of “keep out,” in the same sense that other items may be hung from a flagpole or thrown off a roof.
Several cities are debating ordinances that would make the practice of shoefiti illegal, or at least strongly discouraged. The cost of hiring professional service workers to remove shoes and the possibility of damage to passing vehicles have sparked some serious discussion among lawmakers, but it can be very difficult to catch a shoefite artist in the act or prove criminal intent.
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