what is more stupid is how frequently a young kid with dreams of being rich would stand on a marked corner like that with a pocket full of crack waiting for someone to slow down. more often than not he would get shot or shot at in short order by whoever claimed the spot. i remember some 16 year old kid getting shot with one pocket full of cash and the other full of tiny bags of crack, about a block from the school. the next day the kids there were talking about how he was on "someone else's corner."
the street level drug sales are poor kids with no idea of how dangerous of a profession they are entering. a car slows down, they walk up, the transaction lasts about 30 seconds. if a cop comes they run. always. and since they are neighborhood kids they know every alley. and if they get caught, yeah it usually does take a few offenses to get a custodial sentence because they are underage. by that time they are a career criminal, well on their way to having no chance at a decent life.
actually if the shoes are in a gang's color it is their way of claiming the corner, usually for drug sales. a nearby gang would throw up one black and one red shoe tied together because those were their colors. that way other gangs and independent pharmaceutical salespeople are forewarned that they shouldn't set up shop on that intersection. if they do, they are asking to get shot. some gangs use it to claim the turf in general, but mostly it is used to mark drug spots now.
i used to teach in the 'hood and was educated by my students about it. obviously this depends on the part of town we are talking about
Slashdot Mirror
I could sniff a line of them and have a LAN in my sinus cavity!
what is more stupid is how frequently a young kid with dreams of being rich would stand on a marked corner like that with a pocket full of crack waiting for someone to slow down. more often than not he would get shot or shot at in short order by whoever claimed the spot. i remember some 16 year old kid getting shot with one pocket full of cash and the other full of tiny bags of crack, about a block from the school. the next day the kids there were talking about how he was on "someone else's corner."
the street level drug sales are poor kids with no idea of how dangerous of a profession they are entering. a car slows down, they walk up, the transaction lasts about 30 seconds. if a cop comes they run. always. and since they are neighborhood kids they know every alley. and if they get caught, yeah it usually does take a few offenses to get a custodial sentence because they are underage. by that time they are a career criminal, well on their way to having no chance at a decent life.
actually if the shoes are in a gang's color it is their way of claiming the corner, usually for drug sales. a nearby gang would throw up one black and one red shoe tied together because those were their colors. that way other gangs and independent pharmaceutical salespeople are forewarned that they shouldn't set up shop on that intersection. if they do, they are asking to get shot. some gangs use it to claim the turf in general, but mostly it is used to mark drug spots now.
i used to teach in the 'hood and was educated by my students about it. obviously this depends on the part of town we are talking about