Security comes around 5 a.m. and tells everyone—more than 40 of us—we have to leave and can't come back until 5:30 a.m. One guy says, Let me get a piece of paper and take names so we can keep this organized and it won't get out of hand. We all try to be slick and park at a bank in the same parking lot, or in bushes and behind dumpsters, but the security isn't having it and kicks everyone out again. I play it smart and wait hidden in the car with my friend.
It is now 5:20 and I head back. I line back up and everything seems to be going well, and I have no question in my mind that I am going to get myself a pair of Jordan IVs. More kids start to show up and people are cutting in front and tension builds and everyone's getting rowdy—one kid gets dropped off by his mom and is wearing a fake pair of Jordan IVs, and right away the group is laughing and pointing him out.
It is now 6 a.m., and we're beyond antsy. We see a security guard make her way to the door, and the line breaks. Everyone just swarms the doors. I am really pissed—I'm thinking there is no way in hell I'm getting a pair now. Kids are banging and beating on the doors, yelling at the security guard to open up. An off-duty cop who lined up with the rest of us yells at the kids: "Back up; the security guard is a white lady and she is fucking scared! Back up!" Of course no one listens. The security guard calls for back-up and an old man joins her inside, and the crowd starts to laugh and says, What the hell is this guy gonna do?
We stand in line for another 10 minutes, everyone pushing on each other. Finally kids pry the door open and start running in. One guy falls to the ground and starts to get trampled, but gets up right away and continues to run. As I finally walk through the doors, I can see about 50 kids running throughout the mall to any one of the four stores selling the shoes. I end up at Champs. I can't believe that I was seventh in line and now God only knows what I ended up being.
I'm standing impatiently in line and they are only allowing four kids in at a time. So I'm watching kids walk out with their newly purchased shoes, some kids walking out with two pairs in hand, and all I can think is, "Fuck, I'm screwed." Every few minutes a worker walks out of the store to announce a certain size has already been sold out. I feel like giving up and I'm waiting to hear size 10.5 has been sold out. Twenty minutes pass and I finally get in, and my friend and I both ask for two pairs of 10.5s. There are only three left and my friend is kind enough to let me get two pairs.
We pay for our shoes and we walk out of the store with our heads held high, thanking God for allowing us get our shoes.