June 30, 2010: Virtual Street Corners in Brookline and Roxbury

>> Rooney: IT IS TWO AND

A HALF MILES FROM

BROOKLINE'S COOLIDGE

CORNER TO ROXBURY'S DUDLEY

SQUARE.

BUT THIS MONTH A PAIR OF

TV SCREENS AND MICROPHONES

MADE THESE DIFFERENT

NEIGHBORHOODS VIRTUALLY

CONNECTED.

TYPICALLY BROOKLINE AND

ROXBURY HAVE LITTLE TO SAY

TO EACH OTHER.

ENTER VIRTUAL STREET

CORNERS.

A DIGITAL EXPERIMENT THAT

HAS ALLOWED THE TWO

COMMUNITIES TO SEE HOW THE

OTHER SIDE LIVES.

>> FOR ME, THE HEIGHT IS

THAT WE'RE -- THE

HIGHLIGHT IS THAT WE'RE

COMMUNICATING WITH SOMEONE

ELSE.

USING THE TECHNOLOGY TO BE

YET IN ANOTHER PLACE.

>> Rooney: HERE IN OUR

VIRTUAL STATION OUTSIDE

THE NOTION STORE IN DUDLEY

SQUARE, T.M. ALONE REACHES

OUT TO NEIGHBORHOODS AND

AN IDENTICAL STATION IN

COOLIDGE CORNER.

THE PROJECT, WHICH WRAPS

UP TODAY, HAS OPENED UP

MILES OF COMMUNICATION

BETWEEN NEIGHBORS JUST

MILES AWAY BUT WORLDS

APART.

>> IT IS FUN WHEN THERE

WAS SPONTANEOUS

CONVERSATIONS.

>> Rooney: JOURNALISTS,

LIKE NINA NAGRA HAS USED

THE NEWS REPORTS TO REPORT

TO BROOKLINE.

NAGRA SAYS HE HOPES THE

CONVERSATION WILL

CONTINUE, EVEN AFTER THE

SCREENS COME DOWN.

>> I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE GET

RATHER IN-DEPTH WITH THEIR

CONVERSATIONS WITH EACH

OTHER.

ALBEIT, BRIEF, BUT IN

DEPTH.

>> Rooney: JOINING ME IS

JOHN AND JAMARHL CRAWFORD.

WELCOME, BOTH OF YOU.

YOU COULD PICK ANY

NEIGHBORHOODS, AND HOW DO

YOU SETTLE ON THESE?

>> DUDLEY USED TO BE A

COMMUNITY ARTIST -- I DID

A LOT OF PROJECTS AROUND

DUDLEY.

I WANTED TO PICK TWO

NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WERE

THE CENTER OF THEIR

COMMUNITIES AND THERE IS A

LOT OF PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC.

I REALLY LIKE THESE TWO

BECAUSE THEY'RE CONNECTED

BY A BUS.

AND YOU HAVE THAT EASY

PHYSICAL CONNECTION.

>> Rooney: AND YOU

POINTED OUT THAT DUDLEY

SCARE USED TO BE VERY

JEWISH IN THE '50s AND

'60s, AND BROOKLINE,

PEOPLE MIGRATED THERE.

THEY HAVE THAT IN COMMON.

>> YES.

AND, ACTUALLY, JAMAL'S

FAMILY WAS ONE OF THE

FIRST BLACK FAMILIES TO

MOVE ON THIS STREET.

>> Rooney: YOU SAID YOU

WERE VERY EXCITED TO DO

THIS, AND DID IT MEET YOUR

EXPECTATIONS?

>> I THINK THE MERGER OF

THE COMMUNITY WITH THE ART

AND USING IT TO STIMULATE

DIALOGUE, I THINK THAT WAS

VERY INTERESTED.

IT GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE

TALKING.

PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY WOULD

NOT NORMALLY TALK.

AND FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF

SUBJECTS.

>> Rooney: WHAT DID THEY

TALK ABOUT?

DID THEY TALK ABOUT STREET

VIOLENCE?

>> THE VIOLENCE WAS THERE.

OBVIOUSLY WE BROUGHT THAT

UP WITH REVEREND WALL AND

MYSELF.

AND WE SPOKE ABOUT THAT

THE RABBI ON THE PHONE.

BUT THE VIOLENCE WAS AN

ISSUE, AND ALSO SOME OF

THE HISTORY WAS AN ISSUE.

A GREAT CONNECTION AROUND

ARTS AND CULTURE.

AND THERE WAS ALSO AN

OPPORTUNITY WHEN WE

BROUGHT IN THE PALESTINIAN

STUDENTS FROM THE GAZA

STRIP, AND THERE WAS KIND

OF AN INTEREST THERE

ABOUT, YOU KNOW,

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS AND

LIFE AND CULTURE AND OTHER

PLACES OUTSIDE OF AMERICA.

>> Rooney: SO WAS IT

ALWAYS INTERACTIVE?

SOME OF IT WAS

PROGRAMMING, LIKE NEWS

REPORTS, AND MIKE

DUKAUKIS -- IF I'M

STANDING ON THE STREET

CORNER, COULD I GET IN ON

IT?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

THAT'S WHAT I LIKED ABOUT

THE PROJECT.

IT WAS ACCESSIBLE TO THE

STREET CORNERS.

MUCH DIFFERENT IF YOU HAVE

A BROADCAST IN A ROOM.

>> Rooney: WAS MICHAEL

DUKAKIS IN A STUDIO --

>> HE WAS RIGHT OUT THERE

ON THE LOCATION.

THE BUSES WERE ZOOMING BY.

IT WAS GREAT.

>> Rooney: WHAT KIND OF

RESPONSE DID MOST OF THE

PEOPLE HAVE.

DID THEY STOP ASKING

QUESTIONS?

>> SOME PEOPLE GET IT.

PEOPLE STILL THINK IT IS

MAGICAL.

WOW, WE CAN TALK TO THOSE

PEOPLE OVER THERE --

THAT'S FANTASTIC.

>> I GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE

WHO WANTED TO SEE THIS

EXPANDED.

HIS NEEDS TO BE HERE IN

BOSTON, NEW YORK,

BOSTON/PHILLY --

>> Rooney: THAT WOULD BE

BE GREAT DURING THE BOSTON

PLAYOFFS.

A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR

ABUSE, TOO.

SPEAKING OF THAT, WAS THAT

EVER A CONCERN OF YOURS?

>> YOU KNOW, PEOPLE BRING

THAT UP, BUT NOT SO MUCH.

NOT SO MUCH.

I THINK IT IS A LOT LIKE

ON THE INTERNET.

WHEN YOU HAVE FREE SPEECH,

THERE IS ALWAYS THAT RISK

THAT SOMEBODY IS GOING TO

SAY THIS OR THAT, BUT FOR

THE MOST PART, PEOPLE WERE

PRETTY RESPECTFUL.

>> Rooney: HOW DID YOU

PAY FOR THIS?

SOME OF THE REPORTERS WERE

PUT ON A PAYROLL?

HOW DID YOU DO THIS?

>> WE HAD GRANTS FROM THE

KNIFE FOUNDATION, AND

BLACK ARTS FOUNDATION, AND

FROM THE NEW ENGLAND

FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS.

AND ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT

THAT MADE IT HAPPEN WAS

DONATED BY PROVIDIA.

>> Rooney: WAS THIS AN

ORIGINAL IDEA WITH YOU OR

IT STARTED SOMEWHERE ELSE

AND --

>> IT'S MY ORIGINAL.

>> Rooney: ARE YOU GUYS

GOING TO TEAM UP AND DO IT

ELSE WELL?

>> THE MBTA HAS TALKED TO

US.

>> Rooney: HOW WOULD

THAT USE THIS?

>> A LOT OF IT IS

STRUCTURED AROUND

TRANSPORTATION.

A LOT ABOUT THE BUS AND

BEING ABLE TO GO BACK AND

FORTH PHYSICALLY, AND NOW

YOU CAN GO BACK AND FORTH

VIRTUALLY.

IT IS THIS IDEA OF BEING

ABLE TO MOVE THROUGH SPACE

WITH TECHNOLOGY AND THE

MBTA.

SO IT IS ABOUT CONNECTION.

SO THEREÁÛ=:+EÒ

i>a„Û—P/ÁY?¶ A SORT OFFOCUS THERE.

>> Rooney: CAN YOU

IMAGINE, JAMAL, WHERE THIS

MIGHT GO, OTHER THAN JUST

COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY?

IS THERE SOMETHING YOU CAN

ENVISION THAT WOULD BE

HELPFUL?

>> OH, TONS OF STUFF.

FOR INSTANCE, IF THERE WAS

A CONNECTION BETWEEN,

LET'S SAY, A SCHOOL HERE

IN BOSTON, AND A SCHOOL,

LET'S SAY, IN AFRICA OR

INDIA AND CHINA, JUST THE

POSSIBILITIES WHERE

CHILDREN'S MINDS GET

OPENED UP TO SOMEONE ELSE.

SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS,

WHAT DID YOU EAT THIS

MORNING?

WHAT KIND OF CLOTHES DO

YOU WEAR?

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN?

THOSE KINDS OF

CONVERSATIONS I THINK HAVE

THE MOST POTENTIAL, WHEN

IT GOES MORE GLOBAL.

BUT EVEN FROM CITY TO

CITY, IF IT IS SOMETHING

LIKE THE MBTA, IF YOU GET

RUGLETATION OR HARVARD

SQUARE, AND YOU GET WHAT

THEIR MAIN CENTER OF

TRANSPORTATION IS IN LIKE

LONDON, I THINK THE

POSSIBILITIES ARE REALLY

ENDLESS.

THIS CAN BE IN SCHOOLS, IT

CAN BE IN MALLS.

IT CAN GO ANYWHERE,

BASICALLY.

>> Rooney: AND THE

TECHNOLOGY IS SO

SOPHISTICATED NOW, YOU CAN

USE MINIATURE CAMERAS.

UNINTRUSIVE.

>> YUP.

EACH MONTH IT KEEPS GOING

ON AND ON.

WE ACTUALLY USED THE MIKE

BECAUSE AT FIRST WE HAD AN

EMBEDDED ONE.

BUT WHEN THE MIKE IS

THERE, IT IS A SIGNAL FOR

PEOPLE TO START TALKING.

AND IT DID ENCOURAGE

PEOPLE TO SING.

>> Rooney: HAVE YOU PUT

A PITCH TOGETHER FOR A

BIGGER FOUNDATION?

>> NOT YET.

I WANT TO SORT OF EVALUATE

THIS AND GET SOME SLEEP

AND TAKE IT TO THE NEXT

STEP.

I ALSO LIKE IT THAT IT IS

LOCAL.

>> Rooney: I DO, TOO.

BOSTON NEIGHBORHOODS, IT

WAS GREAT THAT IT WAS

BROOKLINE AND DUDLEY

SQUARE, BUT BOSTON

NEIGHBORHOODS COULD USE A

LITTLE COMMUNICATION --

IT'S SUCH A BIG CITY.

>> EXACTLY.

I WOULD GO TO ONE AND FIND

OUT ALL OF THESE GREAT

THINGS ABOUT THE

NEIGHBORHOOD, AND GO TO

THE NEXT ONE AND THEY KNOW

NOTHING ABOUT IT.

>> Rooney: JOHN EWING

AND MR. JAMARHL CRAWFORD,

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WHEN WE CONTINUE, SOPHIE

TUCKER, THE LAST OF THE

RED-HOT MOMENTS.