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With the release of limited edition Air Jordan tennis shoes on Dec. 21, 2012, tragedy struck Dazie Williams’ family.
Her son, Joshua Woods, and a friend had waited in line all morning at Willowbrook Mall to snag a few pairs of the Air Jordan Bred 11 sneakers. But high consumer demand and short supply of the shoes spelled trouble for the two. After leaving the mall, Woods was followed home and fatally shot for his shoes while his friend managed to escape to a neighbor’s home.
“It hurt me greatly knowing that he had been killed over shoes,” said Williams. “But it’s nothing new. This has been going on since the 80s.”
The year of Woods’ death, Nike produced an estimated half a million pairs of Air Jordans sold in malls throughout the country. Selling out in minutes, the $185 sneakers can now only be found at marked up prices from individual sellers on Craigslist, eBay and other classified listings.
In the end, three teen suspects were arrested and charged in Woods’ murder, Neal Bland, 18, Anthony Quinn Wade, 19, and Kegan Arrington, 19. While Williams said she is glad justice was served, she believes the problem is systemic.
Since April, she has been campaigning for change, petitioning Nike, Michael Jordan and President Barack Obama through her organization Life Over Fashion.
“If I own a business and people are being killed, I would have to find it in heart to find a better way,” she said. “People are being robbed and stabbed just by standing in line. Once the doors open, people are trampled trying to get in.”
Her goals are simple: no more release dates and a supply that can meet demand. Every afternoon, Williams hits the streets distributing flyers and raising awareness about her organization.
“Basically, we need enough signatures to get Nike’s attention,” said Williams. “No more release date, so no one else will be killed over shoes. We lost five young people, including those four who took a life for shoes and now will spend the rest of their life in jail.”
The organization is starting to attract attention. While Williams said she has received no promises from Nike, she did receive a message from Nike's vice president, offering condolences for her loss. An official statement from the organization obtained by ABC-13 also promised the organization would continue to "work with our retail partners to share best practices and refine our launch process."
The organization took a major step forward when Williams met a Florida-based web developer Alexander
Richard, who volunteered to help her market her organization with a new website, Facebook page and online petitions.
Richard, who started Healing Hope ministries, said she received a message from Williams on Facebook, who had been reaching out online to different organizations for her cause. On a whim, she messaged her back and asked if she needed any help. That’s when Richard volunteered her services to Williams.
“I believe in Life Over Fashion,” said Richard. “No one should lose their life over something that won’t last, something that can be bought so cheaply… In reality, the thieves are paying a much bigger price for those shoes. They ended up paying the price of a life.”
Dec. 21, 2013 will mark the one year anniversary since Woods' death -- and the release of the new Air Jordan shoes. While Williams said she's praying no one else will get hurt, she knows her son won't be the last to be killed over the shoes.
"How many more will have to die because of these shoes?" she said.
terrible story
i know this should go in the general section but i figured more people would see it in the jordan section
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cypr...cle_af126df8-d460-11e2-aec5-0019bb2963f4.html
Her son, Joshua Woods, and a friend had waited in line all morning at Willowbrook Mall to snag a few pairs of the Air Jordan Bred 11 sneakers. But high consumer demand and short supply of the shoes spelled trouble for the two. After leaving the mall, Woods was followed home and fatally shot for his shoes while his friend managed to escape to a neighbor’s home.
“It hurt me greatly knowing that he had been killed over shoes,” said Williams. “But it’s nothing new. This has been going on since the 80s.”
The year of Woods’ death, Nike produced an estimated half a million pairs of Air Jordans sold in malls throughout the country. Selling out in minutes, the $185 sneakers can now only be found at marked up prices from individual sellers on Craigslist, eBay and other classified listings.
In the end, three teen suspects were arrested and charged in Woods’ murder, Neal Bland, 18, Anthony Quinn Wade, 19, and Kegan Arrington, 19. While Williams said she is glad justice was served, she believes the problem is systemic.
Since April, she has been campaigning for change, petitioning Nike, Michael Jordan and President Barack Obama through her organization Life Over Fashion.
“If I own a business and people are being killed, I would have to find it in heart to find a better way,” she said. “People are being robbed and stabbed just by standing in line. Once the doors open, people are trampled trying to get in.”
Her goals are simple: no more release dates and a supply that can meet demand. Every afternoon, Williams hits the streets distributing flyers and raising awareness about her organization.
“Basically, we need enough signatures to get Nike’s attention,” said Williams. “No more release date, so no one else will be killed over shoes. We lost five young people, including those four who took a life for shoes and now will spend the rest of their life in jail.”
The organization is starting to attract attention. While Williams said she has received no promises from Nike, she did receive a message from Nike's vice president, offering condolences for her loss. An official statement from the organization obtained by ABC-13 also promised the organization would continue to "work with our retail partners to share best practices and refine our launch process."
The organization took a major step forward when Williams met a Florida-based web developer Alexander
Richard, who volunteered to help her market her organization with a new website, Facebook page and online petitions.
Richard, who started Healing Hope ministries, said she received a message from Williams on Facebook, who had been reaching out online to different organizations for her cause. On a whim, she messaged her back and asked if she needed any help. That’s when Richard volunteered her services to Williams.
“I believe in Life Over Fashion,” said Richard. “No one should lose their life over something that won’t last, something that can be bought so cheaply… In reality, the thieves are paying a much bigger price for those shoes. They ended up paying the price of a life.”
Dec. 21, 2013 will mark the one year anniversary since Woods' death -- and the release of the new Air Jordan shoes. While Williams said she's praying no one else will get hurt, she knows her son won't be the last to be killed over the shoes.
"How many more will have to die because of these shoes?" she said.
terrible story
i know this should go in the general section but i figured more people would see it in the jordan section
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cypr...cle_af126df8-d460-11e2-aec5-0019bb2963f4.html
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