“Whether we are oblivious of it or have been a victim of the violence, we are all Americans, and this division will never resolve itself if we don’t try to understand one another. We will never move forward if we all believe the other side is nuts.”
On December 6th, an article appeared on the sports web page “Bleacher Report” that discussed the violence surrounding the urban phenomenon of collecting high-end, limited-release sneakers often fetching prices of over $300/pair. The article was re-posted on CNN the following day. It may be hard for some of us to believe, but it is commonplace for grown men and women to camp out overnight, stand in block-long lines for hours, block traffic on busy streets, get in fights, and sometimes die over the acquisition of said sneakers. This is at least partially attributable to the fact that their resale can fetch as much as 4X their cost. To say that these hyped “releases” cause a problem for local law enforcement (LLE) is an understatement.
Crowd control in a busy urban environment (think after any sporting event at any level) is always a challenge. Traffic flow through and around choke points, plenty of boisterous, often alcohol-influenced pedestrians, and weather conditions are just a few of the many elements that must be factored into a plan. Add in a well-documented history of violence and it’s easy to understand the difficult task for LLE.
Basic crowd control tactics include prohibiting campouts, restricting start times, barricades to control the crowd’s location and flow, enforcing strict entry procedures (i.e. metal detectors, single lines, etc.), banning backpacks, alcohol, and weapons of any kind, issuing traffic advisories, subtly preparing for potential escalation, collecting intelligence, seeking cooperation with the venues, and of course, enhanced police presence to name a few. And that’s the easy stuff. Imagine planning for an event with the potential to escalate into a full-blown riot.
How would you feel if someone you loved died over a pair of shoes?
Every police force deals with crowd control in its own way, adjusting to the many driving factors involved. NYPD had to deal with a sneaker release a few years ago when a potentially dangerous situation arose. Back in 2014, after large crowds formed (many camping out for two days before the event), NYPD simply shut down the event and ordered everyone to disperse.
The Village Voice described it like this: “… a crowd of sneakerheads and sneaker investors packed the sidewalk in front of Supreme New York in SoHo on Wednesday afternoon. By Wednesday night, the crowd had spilled into Lafayette Street … the line had started forming on Monday … Pack that many people, in that tight a space, fiending for a product in that high demand – there’s bound to be some pushing and some shoving and some ‘watch where ya steppin’!”
So, as you’d expect, it was dicey when campers were told to vacate the premises.
What does this phenomenon say about us as a society?
Fast forward to, November 7th, 2017 when a similar release was to be held in New York again, this time at 11AM. Again, the event became potentially dangerous when fans began lining up the night before with the intention of camping out overnight. This time, however, the event was better managed with the cooperation of the designer Jeff Staple and vendor Extra Butter.
As before, NYPD cleared the venue the previous night, “… but Staple quickly addressed the situation on Instagram, providing clarification and instructions for shoppers: A MESSAGE FROM OUR FRIENDS AT @EXTRABUTTER: By order of the NYPD, people will be allowed to begin lining up in front of 125 Orchard St at 6am (11/7). People lining up in front of the store before that will be sent away. Our doors open at 11am on a strict first come first serve basis. Anyone not lined up in an orderly fashion, single file, within the police barricades, will be sent away by the NYPD. See you all tomorrow morning and be safe. We got enough for everyone!
All’s well that ends well I guess. But I’ve been feeling a little frustrated lately and the article in Bleacher Report just hit a nerve and sent me to my keyboard.
I worry about how divided our country is. Sure, count me in as one of those who finds such events nearly incomprehensible. Keyword nearly. That’s what I’m really talking about because what bothered me most was the comments section at the article’s end. Comments ranged from the incredulity at the stupidity of it all, to sympathy and suggestions for tech solutions, to flat out bigotry, with some people saying “… this is a black people problem.”
That’s what I’m really talking about because what bothered me most was the comments section at the article’s end.
What does this phenomenon say about us as a society? I think it’s a perfect example of how divided a nation we are. How would you feel if someone you loved died over a pair of shoes? Yet there are vast swaths of this country where no one has even heard of such a thing, much less ever thought about it. I think it’s safe to say that most people would think that the whole thing is foolish, but there are plenty of others who are intimately familiar with it.
Who is right?
I also believe that most sneaker freaks would find it foolish to strap an under 10-year-old child to the back of a sheep and turn it loose … a common practice at rodeos called “mutton bustin’” that I witnessed at my first rodeo last August in Colorado.
Whether we are oblivious of it or have been a victim of the violence, we are all Americans, and this division will never resolve itself if we don’t try to understand one another. We will never move forward if we all believe the other side is nuts.
As Steve Stills once said, “nobody’s right if everyone’s wrong.”
All of us have to own this.
