Author Archives: jk152348

Air Jordan: All Aboard!

By: Jeanette Knotts

            Whether it’s a blizzard, raining, hail or a heat wave, you can expect to find hundreds of people anxiously lined up in front of the most popular sneaker stores on Friday nights waiting to snag a pair of Air Jordans.

People gathered on line at midnight, just before the release of the Air Jordan XI “Concords”
Courtesy of: Allan Brettman for The Oregonian

What makes these sneakers so popular? Well for starters, the creator of this famous footwear is Michael Jeffrey Jordan  (also known as MJ), 6x basketball playoff champion, and probably the most talked about and well-known NBA players.

Currently, there have been over 70 different styles and color-ways of Air Jordan sneaker released. With effective marketing surrounding the first release of the shoe in 1985, it immediately became Nike’s most sought after footwear. During each game MJ played, he graced the court wearing a pair of his legendary sneakers, often defeating the opposing team with his extraordinary basketball skills.

The most sought after Air Jordan in the “Cool Grey” colorway
Photo By: Jeanette Knotts

Nike then marketed these sneakers by saying they were a key component to Michael’s outstanding performance.

The Air Jordan sneakers are released every other Saturday, attracting over 300 sneaker heads eagerly waiting to buy a pair. The lines for these shoes are usually formed the night before; with people literally camping out, spending hours overnight waiting for the store doors to open and deal with the demand of the crowd. Believe it or not, within minutes, the popular sneaker usually sells out, creating an eruption in the crowd of people who waited hours in line but failed to cop a pair of sneakers because it sold out in a matter of minutes.

The Air Jordan IX sold out in under 2 days
Photo By: Jeanette Knotts

Some people opt to stay home in hopes of trying to purchase a pair online, but these too are sold out in a matter of seconds.

The fact that these sneakers were created by one of the most successful NBA players in history makes these shoes the most wanted above all others. Not only are they stylish, they are marketed to make people think as though they can mimic Michael Jordan’s superlative basketball moves. After all, everyone wants to be like Mike!

The Crown Heights Revolution

By: Jeanette Knotts

Two decades ago, the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, could be described as gritty, poverty stricken, strife and murderous. There were moments during the early-to-mid 1990s where you couldn’t get anyone to walk the gloomy and dreadful blocks of Crown Heights, let alone live there.

Police try to diffuse a rowdy crowd during the 1991 Crown Heights Riot
(Pic courtesy of: Angel Franco for NYTimes)

Most known for its 1991 riots, this neighborhood’s crime rates reached roughly about 7,000 major crimes per year, according to dnainfo.com. Longed were the days its residents wished the streets could get safer, where innocent children could play outside without worries.

Having to live with such an abundant amount of fear of a dangerous community was all too familiar to me. I was born in Brooklyn and raised in Crown Heights during this neighborhood’s violent era. I can remember being told to stay indoors once the sun was down because most of the murders, random shootings, rapes and robberies happened at night.

Newly renovated apartment buildings on St. Johns Place
Photo Credit: Jeanette Knotts

The sound of helicopters hovering closely above my apartment building, with blinding search lights fishing for suspects instilled a fear in me that will never go away.

It is now 2013, 20 years later, and the desperate call for change in the community has been answered. The streets are now glowing with light, even when it’s dark. Old, run down buildings have been renovated, condos have been built alongside crisp green grass and tall trees, and crime rate has decreased tremendously within the past decade.

A newly built condo (2007) located on St. Johns and Grand Army Plaza
Photo Credit: Jeanette Knotts

I recently spoke to an old neighbor of mine, Willie Mae Terrell, and asked her how she felt about the new neighborhood; she said “I’m very pleased with the change in this community. Having lived here for nearly 30 years, it’s been a long time coming!” she continued, “I witnessed so many muggings and violent fights living in Crown Heights, I’m just thrilled to see that a change has finally come, although I’m not too happy with the major raise in rent”, she laughed. People who wouldn’t dare to breathe in the once dreadful Brooklyn neighborhood are now packing up with their families and migrating to Crown Heights. This is the revolution that has been televised!