So after a few changes in team line up, I was joined today by my husband, Gavin, and later on by Dave Enders (a journalist with a rather storied background) and his friend.
We laid down some of the longest single lines yet – one went about 8 blocks, an another went over half a mile. Again, we met some really great people while out drawing the line, but since my camera batteries died, I don’t have any images 
The first gentleman that we spoke to was looking at me with a look best described as consternation. Clearly he had some concerns about what I was doing. I waved at him and said hi, and walked over to the patio where he was standing. “We are marking what could be a new coastline for Brooklyn. It’s a line that I am drawing all around the entire coast of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, showing the area that could suffer from frequent flooding due to climate change.” His look softened a bit and he started asking questions. I pointed at his toddler and talked about the importance of acting now in order to preserve the future for his son. I think he was starting to get it. I explained that there was a lot of information in the action packet that I handed him and encouraged him to read through it, and if he wanted more information, he could visit the website. Finally, looking stern again, he asked if the line I drew was permanent – I laughed and said certainly not! It’s just field chalk and eco-friendly pigment, what doesn’t blow away from the traffic, will wash away in the rain.
We had people stopping in their cars to ask about the project – but my favorite was the group on 104th street. One guy asked what I was doing and I started explaining – he shouted to his wife back in the house to come over and see and talk to me. Then the neighbor, who had been arguing with another neighbor about who was at fault for a minor car incident they just had, stopped arguing and they both came over to hear what I was saying. Then two more came quickly from down the street – wanting to know first if we were going to be digging, and then when I explained they were all interested in knowing what would flood when and why and what they could do about it – what a great group of interested community members – I loved it! It should be noted that after I left the argument about the car incident continued…
When Dave joined me he asked me lots of questions about the line, and how the ideas came to me and so forth. Then we met a guy with his 4 year old daughter who we got to talk to for a while about the project and the flooding. He was genuinely concerned and wanted to know what to do. He mentioned that when the tsunami hit, he looked out his window at Fresh Kills Creek and wondered if it could flood (it could), so he was really glad to have the information.
Our final interaction was with a couple of NYPD out on patrol. They stopped to ask what I was doing, which I told them (public art project marking the new coastline, point is to engage communities, blah blah – you’ve heard it before) and they just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t out late or on my own since some of the areas could be a bit dangerous. I thought that was really nice!
So it was, yet another great day. I wish everyone reading this blog could be there with me along the way. It is such a fun project to do and the part that I kept saying was really important – the part about engaging the public – that really is the best and most wonderful part. I really enjoy talking to all the different people and love the variety of responses. I just hope that I have made a difference for a few (if not all) of them. (You know it is so much like the starfish story…)