What is the meaning of sneakers hung up on wires in certain neighborhoods the USA?

It is popularly believed that tennis shoes hanging from utility wires designate "gang territory" or a location where one can buy street drugs, but that version of events would not seem to apply to the hefty percentage of shoes seen dangling over non-gang neighborhoods and quiet streets in rural towns where there's little or no gang and drug activity to be found.Another folk belief holds that teenage boys who've just "scored" for the first time — i.e., lost their virginity — are wont to heave an old pair of sneakers over a power line to celebrate the moment and proclaim their conquest to the world (who says teenage boys aren't romantic?).

Where I live, it's just a prank, nothing more. When I was going to college, it was the same thing. On special days, like say they won the football game or it was the day before Halloween, you'd find shoes hanging all over the place, off trees, off telephone poles, street signs, you name it. I don't buy the drug sales thing for one moment. It would be too obvious.

Urban legend is that it denotes drug sales near by but in reality displaying shoes on wires or trees is a phenomenon found the world over.

Where I live it means somebody just thought it would be cool to toss a pair of old shoes up there. People do silly things.

I think it's a somewhat desperate way of saying "get rid of these shoes; you have new ones". Contrary to urban legend (this has been going on for dozens of years, and in [gasp] Canada, too), it has nothing to do with drugs.

Where I live it means there is a drug dealer in that location.

it means someone tossed some shoes up there,