What do shoes hanging on a telephone wire mean?

A number of theories surround why shoes hang from telephone wires. According to The New York Times, these theories range from hanging shoes on wires to indicate gang activity to simply being an end-of-school tradition.

Another popular theory surrounding hanging shoes from telephone wire is bullying. According to Cracked, bullies throw the shoes of their victims up on telephone wires as a way of picking on a target. The act of throwing shoes on telephone wires has been around for generations; however, the origination of this act is unclear. The theories surrounding throwing shoes on a telephone wire tend to change from location to location.