Trainers hanging on telephone wires indicate a nearby crack den.

the verdict

REFUTED

the evidence says no

Recorded sources

0 sources for · 3 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

The belief that trainers hanging on telephone wires indicate a nearby crack den is an urban legend without factual backing; shoes are tossed for many different cultural reasons.

How claims like this are judged

Judged against fact-checker rulings and reference works: claims of this kind are settled by the fact-checking record, not journal abstracts.

Evidence against · 3

snopes.com: Do Sneakers Hanging from Power Lines Carry a Secret Message?

Recorded source metadata

snopes.com: Do Sneakers Hanging from Power Lines Carry a Secret Message?. snopes.com. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-secret-language-of-sneakers/

Fact-checker ruling: reviewed

Source citation format

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More against · 2

skeptics.stackexchange.com: Does a pair of trainers (shoes) hanging on a telephone wire mean the house nearby is a crack den?

Recorded source metadata

skeptics.stackexchange.com: Does a pair of trainers (shoes) hanging on a telephone wire mean the house nearby is a crack den?. skeptics.stackexchange.com. https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/23434/does-a-pair-of-trainers-shoes-hanging-on-a-telephone-wire-mean-the-house-nearb

Identifies the claim that trainers on telephone wires indicate a crack den as an urban legend.

Source citation format

en.wikipedia.org: Shoe throwing

Recorded source metadata

en.wikipedia.org: Shoe throwing. en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_throwing

Explains shoe throwing ('shoefiti') as having various cultural reasons and perceived meanings varying by region.

Source citation format

The paper trail · every fact has a biography

first checked31 Jul 2026

judged → REFUTED · 031 Jul 2026

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