For some, Air Jordan wait gets rowdy-pepper spray used

[Jello Biafra]

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7383799/shoppers-waiting-new-air-jordans-get-rowdy

Updated: December 23, 2011, 1:34 PM ET

For some, Air Jordan wait gets rowdy

Associated Press

SEATTLE -- The release of Nike's retro Air Jordans caused a frenzy at stores across the nation early Friday, with hundreds of people lining up for a chance to buy the classic basketball shoes and rowdy crowds breaking down doors and starting fights in at least two cities.

Police used pepper spray on about 20 people at a mall near Seattle, while officers arrested at least four unruly shoppers in suburban Atlanta.

People started gathering around midnight at four stores in the Westfield Southcenter mall in suburban Seattle for a chance to buy the shoes, which retail for $180 a pair, Tukwila police Officer Mike Murphy said. The crowd grew to more than 1,000 people by 4 a.m. local time, when the stores opened, he said.

"Around 3 (a.m.) there started to be some fighting and pushing among the customers," he said. "Around 4, it started to get pretty unruly and officers sprayed pepper spray on a few people who were fighting, and that seemed to do the trick to break them up."

-snip-

Now cops are pepper spraying shoppers...what's next?

[sarcasmo]

1. The Police are way out of control with pepper spray and stun guns.

[RZM]

2. I'm curious here, not being sarcastic

What would you have them do?

Let's say there's a line of 500 people waiting for shoes and a fight breaks out. Let's say there are only 2 cops on the scene. Within seconds, the fight has grown and you have 10 people mixing it up. If you don't break it soon, it could be 50 people in a matter of minutes. Plus somebody could die or get seriously injured. How do you restore order without pepper spray or a stun gun?

[joeglow3]

9. over 24 hours and no reply

Not that I expected one.

[virgogal]

3. It's the idiot shoppers that were out of control,and for sneakers for heaven's sake.

[rocktivity]

4. People lined up overnight and rioted to buy THESE?

AND paid nearly $200? But they weren't cool when they WERE cool!

Nobody I knew liked these Air Jordans -- mainly because we stopped wearing patent leather in elementary school!


rocktivity

[elehhhhna]

7. why not? children toiled n foreign sweatshops to m ake the dammned

things.

ridiculous evidently breeds ridiculous.

Jordan retires. Like, three times. He's so over. People must have been buying these for nostalgic 40 years-olds

[KansDem]

5. It's a f*cking shoe, folks!

Get a clue!!!

No wonder the f*cking 1%-ers are laughing at you!

[freeplessinseattle]

6. damn, and it was right at freezing point last night

people are freaking nuts

[OccupyOregon]

8. These people probably don't have a clue

about what is really going on in the world, or even in their own city. They probably can't name their congressman or senator. They probably can't name one of the supreme court justices. They probably don't have any idea of what bills congress is passing or what decisions the courts are making. Yet, they want to fight each other for a stupid pair of shoes. I just don't get it.