The Canadians have invented an ugly variation of this wholesome pastime.

I think most of us can assert we've seen this in many parts of the US, but I wonder if it's caught on as an international trend yet? I can't remember seeing any in China, but I wasn't there for a particularly long time either. Ditto Canada. What say you, Canadian, UK, and American-expat-living-in-Japan TnTers?

I can't remember ever seeing this in Wilmington until the 1980s.  The first time I can recall witnessing the phenomenon was back in the mid-70s up in Northeast Philly.  It was right outside of a shoe store in a strip mall and not anywhere what you could call gang turf back then (heh, things changed with an influx of Russians and Southeast Asians in the 80s).  At any rate, I sort of wondered what the backstory was and a friend of mine, who had a son whose sneakers were tossed over the telephone line told me it was a local tradition.  As soon as someone bought a new pair and didn't need the old pair, they'd tie the old pair together and toss them over the line.  At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Illegitimi non carborundum.

When I was in the Army, it was traditional to take a guy out on his last day before being discharged and get him drunk. Then, back to the barracks to get a pair of his boots to toss up on the powerlines where everyone would see them next time we were out running.

Happens in Vancouver quite a lot. I have also very frequently remarked on sometimes quite nice footwear neatly abandoned on sidewalks, as if they were on the threshold of an imaginary door. I wonder if the heroin high creates the need to shed ones feet covering.

Am I a great person? Hell no - by most metrics I'm pretty much an asshole. -TSlothrop

The links on this sub were fantastic!  I loved the Sarah Silverman song video for white dog poop as well as the video mock gangsta fighting over rights to toss sneakers.

I've been seeing shoes in trees and hanging off telephone wires for ages and just assumed it was kids playing pranks on each other.  

But the best time was when I went to a poetry reading and some deluded poet (I forget the name now) seemed to think that homeless people were getting their shoes stolen and tossed.  

We have quite a few in areas bordering my neighborhood. They are spread out throughout the city as well. You can submit a complaint on the city website about them, there is even a special flag on the standard form to say you are complaining about shoes on wires.

As for their purpose? I don't know. I remember being told as I grew up that shoes on wires means "Drugs sold here." I could kind of see that, since they seem to accumulate more rapidly on bad corners or areas than they do in "nicer" parts of the city. But then again, it could be a false correlation because perhaps those residents are more likely to have the pull to get the shoes taken down. In addition, it would seem foolhardy to base your advertising for an illicit activity around a 20 year old urban legend that has to be well known by the cops.

Shame there's not a more definitive answer, as I always wondered this too.  I never saw them in the small town where I grew up, but they're not at all uncommon in Richmond.  I heard one explanation, that it meant someone had been killed near that spot.  While it's certainly possible, I think in most cases it's just people getting rid of old shoes and deciding to do it in an urban legend kind of way.

Q: What do you think of western civilization? Gandhi: I think it would be a good idea.