Palace has canceled the New York City release for its Nike Air Max 95 collaboration after two people were arrested for assault Thursday during wristband distribution.
The New York Police Department charged two 21-year-old males with assault as a sizable crowd lined up outside the store in order to get the wristbands that would allow them to make the purchase Friday. Officers responded to a 911 call and were informed of a verbal dispute that escalated into a physical altercation, the department told Footwear News.
Palace announced the cancellation in an Instagram post Friday morning and pointed prospective customers to the web release at 11 a.m. The sneaker is the third released by the London streetwear brand in collaboration with Nike and was immediately pegged as the most enticing yet.
Unruly crowds for sneaker releases in the 2000s and early 2010s led to proliferation of digital raffles. In-person releases on a first-come, first-serve basis have started to make a comeback, however, and the NYPD has had to cancel several launches in recent years.
The release for Pharrell Williams’ all-black Adidas Jellyfish at Billionaire Boy’s Club SoHo store, just around the corner from Palace, was shutdown in December, as was Flight Club’s launch for the Division Street x Nike Dunk Low “What The” the year prior.
In February 2025, Queens boutique All the Right switched from an announced FCFS release for the Air Jordan 1 High ’85 “Bred” to a digital raffle after widespread safety concerns were raised for such a high-profile sneaker with limited stock.
Palace goes the FCFS route for its weekly Friday streetwear drops, but for more popular launches it distributes wristbands in-person to purchase the day prior, resulting in another line on the sidewalks.