As we get closer to the holiday season it’s important to bring attention to an issue that has been silently ongoing… Sneaker violence.
According to a documentary by GQ, 1200 people die each year because of sneakers, yes you have read that right and as much as 20 per week at times. Unfortunately, of this extremely high number, most of the victims are African American. Young people everywhere from Brooklyn to Houston have died while in the process of buying sneakers or while wearing them.
Every year around Black Friday and Christmas, Jordan releases sneakers that become the main topic for almost every sneaker hipster. People of all ages and camp out and/or buy raffle tickets to have a chance at getting the glorified kicks.
In the video, Wale weighed in on the issue by saying,”Theres some deep down need…desire to be seen in something clean or fresh, or something that is desired, something that is coveted.” Comedian and actor Mike Epps blames the spike in sneaker violence on marketers because they promote sneakers as if they are “the dream.”
One Houston woman spoke on her son being killed for his Bred 11 that came out around Christmas time. Three men followed her son after he purchased his sneakers and they later shot and killed him for them as he was going home. She has since spoken to a VP at Nike as well as Michael Jordan himself. She has also started an organization called “Life Over Fashion” to combat the idolization of sneakers.
Other sneaker enthusiasts and businessmen in the industry also talked about the need of sneaker businesses to come up with better solutions to stop sneaker violence. Companies have heard and seen the cries and in an effort to stop the violence, many stores stop doing midnight sneaker releases.
Checkout the full documentary below and lets chat!.
Source: GQ, http://video.gq.com/watch/sneakerheadz-1-200-people-die-over-sneakers-each-year
TSR Intern: Jalen M! @jalenmosby on IG!
