Posted on 04/20/2010 6:44:05 AM PDT by smokingfrog
Shiny, unmistakable and a little strange, the custom wire wheels of choice on some of Houston's toughest streets are the star attraction of whatever they're beneath, be it Benz or Bentley, certified slab or laughable junker.
No doubt they demand attention. They are the stuff of local legend and lore, of lust and commerce at its most American, and most dangerous. Poking out 6 inches or more from the hub like a chrome tepee frame, they sing a siren's song, and young men hear it droning.
For more than two decades these unconventional rims, going by nicknames like swangers, elbows and pokes, have been coveted as none other by the car enthusiasts in Houston's poor black neighborhoods.
Those who live there, who ride there, who pay attention to what rolls down the streets, are fully aware of their allure. They also know well the mayhem that sometimes comes from possessing something so desirable.
“They have created an adverse culture of killing,” said community activist Quanell X.
DeAndre Elliott heard the siren and could not resist, and so his 1993 Buick Park Avenue was suitably equipped.
If Elliott had concern for his safety, it was not enough to overcome the pride in ownership. A junior at Worthing High School, he had no time for worry. He'd been through the bad times, losing his mother at an early age, and come through the other side.
He was the popular star running back of the football team. He had a girlfriend. He had something in short supply in the grittiest neighborhoods — hope — and of course he had that car painted a fresh blue-green and finished off with elbows and white-walled Vogues, the only tire worthy of pairing with such expensive rims.
Elliott died Nov. 19 on his girlfriend's doorstep.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
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These baubles appeal to barbarians.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Everything about this neighborhood, and it’s indigents, sounds repulsive.
This is a uniquely black culture thing - And everything about it (And this article.. I mean .. “Quanell X”? ) only serves to damn the populace at large.
Do we have a Phat Rimz pinglist ?
No Quanell, it's not the rims which have created that culture. But you know that.
These brave citizens are just fighting for their entitled right to expensive car rims...
Not to mention the Vogues.
First it was shoes and now it’s rims. Next they’ll be yanking out their gold teeth. But this is Houston.
Something I’ve noticed is these cars with a logo painted on them. I’ve seen an Apple Jack’s, Kool Aid and other logos. They are weird.
“DeAndre”?
Interesting tidbit from the article.
Now this is an issue the President might be capable of addressing.
Oh, wait. He doesn’t have street cred, either.
obama drove a Chrysler 300, very popular vehicle in the hood.
As fine a fella as one would ever hope to meet.
As long as you're not white.
A quote from Mr. X:
"[i]f you feel that you just got to mug somebody because of your hurt and your pain, go to River Oaks and mug you some good white folks. If you’re angry that our brother is put to death, don’t burn down your own community, give these white folks hell from the womb to the tomb."
A fine fella, what?
Must be Amish.
Quanell X is our local version of Al Sharpton.
If I remember correctly, he has some pretty flashy rims on his Hummer.
“A cat can have kittens in an oven, but dat don’t make them biscuits” Quannel the tenth.
I don’t know if it is exclusively a black thing. I think the Mexicans and the Puerto Ricans go for those rims too.
But, it’s horrid. The other day I saw an older gentlman (black) get out of an older, sharp looking, black Cadillac at the hardware store in Milwaukee. Fancy rims, Vogue tires. After reading this story, now I know that he was taking his life in his hands driving that car.
While it might be a black cultural thing, some of the lame-brained Hispanics and Eastern European kids here in Chicago seem to have also adopted these rims. Probably doesn’t do too much good for the undercarriage unless a car’s undercarriage is designed to handle the narrow profile tires and larger rims.
Vogue would appear to be be tires built by Goodyear.
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