Secret Powerline Codes

I've heard in the past that shoes hanging from a powerline means that you can buy drugs in the area. But according to this article, in which a utility worker is interviewed, there are even more secret codes:

"The tennis shoes hanging up there mark drug areas," the worker says. "It's a sign to those who are 'in the know' that drugs are available for sale in that neighborhood." He goes on to explain the alleged meaning of yoyos and deflated helium balloons. "That meaning is a lot darker," he says. "Yoyos mean that sex is for sale in the area, and if a balloon is tangled in with the yoyos, that means both sex and drugs are for sale." He explains that the color of the yoyo indicates the ethnicity of the person offering sex.

So what are you supposed to do if you see one of these codes? Go up to the nearest person and say, 'Hey, I saw the yoyo, if you know what I mean?' Maybe objects hanging from power lines simply mean that kids have thrown things up there to be obnoxious.

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Posted on Wed Jun 08, 2005


Comments

we threw our shoes over.
haha.
fun.
we were just bored.
how much is the fine in australia?
Posted by charlie and zoe.  on  Wed Dec 13, 2006  at  10:18 PM
I've been alive a long time, and I have noticed the the skywalkers since the 50s & 60s. Could it just be a tribute to a favorite pair that have worn out or no longer fit? I think the urban legend and theorists have too much free time coming up with reasons. I truly believe the young people just think it is a fun way to to play when Mom says you and your friends are making too much noise in the house and you have to go outside. The power lines are unutilized spaces in the neighborhood that become playthings that need decoration.
Posted by shoefetish  on  Tue Mar 20, 2007  at  08:34 AM
Don't think the fine is bigger than it the US for example but it surely teaches you not to repeat your action.
Posted by ThxRehab  on  Tue May 15, 2007  at  03:45 PM
yo..i'm a gangster myself and none of that drug stuff is true...not even that dead gang member stuff....think of something else...no hard feelings to all you people. quiet village pee wees.....s1lent
Posted by silent  on  Mon Jul 02, 2007  at  09:44 PM
I've been told by more than one police officer that sneakers hanging from power lines mean there is a drug dealer nearby. Not necessarily right where the sneakers are, but nearby. People see that and if they are looking for drugs, they drive slowly throughout the neighborhood until they are approached. Cops do know about it.
Posted by Carol  on  Mon Jul 16, 2007  at  11:11 PM
In Hawaii and in my home state of CT, shoes hanging from the powerlines were a sign of drug use. I used to be heavy into drug abuse and if you just sit around and wait, staring at the shoes, someone eventually approaches you. I dunno how true it is else where, but in CT, I got a lot of drugs through the powerlines. I have cleaned up a lot since then, but I know HI has a huge meth problem and I've seen people doing the same thing near powerlines with shoes.
Posted by L  on  Thu Oct 18, 2007  at  10:05 PM
i heard the color of sneaker is code for specific drugs..
Posted by steve  on  Thu Jan 21, 2010  at  09:15 AM
Colours are an indication of what drug is in the area but Im not sure what those colours are.
Posted by Troy  on  Fri May 28, 2010  at  08:37 PM
Well, at one time there was a "code" of sorts involving combat boots being tossed into the power lines, at least on Army Installations in the Continental U.S-it was something soldiers did when they were discharged. The ritual demanded thet the boots be either newly purchased or the best pair the soldier posessed and were to be spit-shined before being tossed over the lines leading to the Battalion or Company HQ.

For obvious reasons, this was usually done in the dead of night on the soldier's last day of active duty.
Posted by K. Williams  on  Thu Sep 13, 2012  at  03:19 PM
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