LOS ANGELES – The mother of a Shoe Palace store employee shot to death during a 2021 sneaker promotion event is suing the shoe store chain, Nike, the alleged gunman and other parties, alleging that they share responsibility for a “sneaker violence” culture that led to her son’s killing.
Jessica Bradford’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges battery, negligence and premises liability. She seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and her suit takes issue with a shoe culture it says is promoted by Michael Jordan and other heroes to the Black community. The plaintiff was the mother of 26-year-old Jayren Bradford, who was Black.
“Unfortunately, a seemingly innocuous thing like a pair of shoes has led to the deaths and injuries of young people for decades,” the suit states. “Dubbed `sneaker violence’ by the mainstream media, this phenomenon plagues young people, especially those of color.”
Representatives for Shoe Palace and Nike did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Wednesday.
Los Angeles police previously said that on Aug. 11, 2021, an argument among a group of men and women began during a shoe raffle in front of the Melrose Avenue store. A co-worker called the off-duty Bradford for help and when he arrived around 12:30 p.m., he was confronted by the group, and a 16- year-old boy pulled out a gun and shot him.
Many flocked to the Nike raffle to win a chance at obtaining the right to purchase a pair of Nike limited-release sneakers and in the end, a pair of Nike “Dunk Low” shoes led to Bradford’s death, according to the suit.
Bradford was his mother’s “artistic and kind-natured son who was generally liked by all,” but compared to her “indescribable pain and loss,” none of the defendants suffered any loss, the suit states.
“In fact, defendants Nike and Nike USA garnered revenue of approximately $12.2 billion during this time period,” the suit states. “This is money stained red by the tragic loss of Jayren.”
Shoe companies, particularly Nike and Nike USA, have learned to capitalize on the magic of shoes and have intensified this mystique by placing prominent people of color at the center of their marketing efforts, much of which is targeted at those in the inner cities, the suit states.
The suit notes that Nike 1989 television and print advertisements featured Jordan, widely admired in the Black community, and his Air Jordan shoe.
“The common thread of these particular advertisements was to `Be like Mike,”‘ the suit states. “To this end, shoes and their makers have created divides among races and social classes with the birth of specialty and designer sneakers like Nike Air Jordans, which have come to represent not only a fashion statement, but a symbol of status.”
But fashion status and “being like Mike” has come at a cost and in 2015, 1,200 young Americans died because of violence surrounding shoes like the Nike Air Jordan and other popular brands, according to the suit.
None of the suit’s defendants implemented safety measures, policies, procedures or training, even though violence at Nike shoe release events is reasonably foreseeable, the suit alleges.
“As a result of these failures, Jayren lost his life, leaving his family, his girlfriend and his co-workers who witnessed the shooting in emotional turmoil,” according to the complaint.
