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 ...
Sorry we gave you the wheel Quanell, isn’t there anything thugs won’t F-up?
Look for Amish buggies with stylin' rims...
Quanell X is an expert at blaming anything but the person who pulled the trigger, unless of course the person that pulled the trigger was a home owner protecting their property.
He was on the news awhile back attacking a Middle Eastern convenience store owner for selling the items to make a crack pipe in a particular neighborhood (not actual crack pipes). The whole time, gang members (who actually sell the crack to the community) were in the back ground flashing gang signs so they could be on tv. I think the ridiculousness of it all was lost on Quannel. This guy can’t be taken seriously unless you work for the Houston Chronicle.
Is it just me, or does it seem that since the civil rights movement, the black community has gotten increasingly out of control? It seems that more and more, the ghetto element has gone mainstream. There was always a criminal element in the black community, and all communities, but, since the ‘60s, the whole ghetto bling element, the baby mama culture, has taken over entire cities, or so it seems.
criminals tend to be lazy
Not so long ago.....correction...one half century ago...there was an adolescent craze called *drag racing*. Speed and style were the macho *chick magnets* in souped up, tricke out, old clunkers. Yes...there was violence and street rowdies had confrontations...so be careful in assigning exclusivity to bad behavior.
Where you an adult at the end of the 60's? /rhet
The most worthless and obnoxious culture on the face of this earth and for all of time.
Well, yeah. And when my BIL got picked up for DUI, he complained bitterly that it was entrapment, because the cop was hanging out a couple blocks from the only bar in town at 2 am.
Quanell and his associates are the children and grandchildren of LBJ.
“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.”
Yet my bet is that he did not have health insurance. So glad that as I walk to work daily, he is able to afford rims and tires that would have paid for 2 years worth of health insurance. I guess I’ll keep walking to work so I can pick up the tab.
Oh, wait, that makes me a racist.
You are correct about the lack of zoning here - you can have a very nice $500K house surrounded by billboards, pawn shops, liquor stores, and strip clubs. The key is to buy in areas outside the city limits that are master planned, zoned, and have little chance of being annexed - Sugar Land and The Woodlands come to mind.
Cypress and Hockley should be fine.. stay outside the beltway...
The point is that barbarians like baubles.
You forgot the most obvious choice: Theft.
However, as I was typing this response it could be the "rightful" owner was just taking them back and left a word of advice.....
Agreed, we are leaving a city, not as large as Houston, but with the same problems.
Houston seems to be thriving despite the big city syndrome and the economic downturn.
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