The huge fence that Thor Equities has put up around the properties it has demolished in the heart of Coney Island’s amusement district has been painted blue. More interesting, though, is that people are already finding a way to use the aesthetic monstrosity as something other than a streetscape killer. It gets at the issue that the Coney Island Development Corp. should have already acted to encourage vendors and others to use the space and keep it alive for the summer season, which is now in full swing. While W. 12 Street, which is in this photo, still has life because rides are open, Stillwell Avenue is a depressing dead zone. It serves as a block-long passageway and parking lot devoid of fun or life. It also stands as a depressing, if not alarming, omen of what Coney Island could be like next year if demolitions are allowed to go forward and the city takes no action to replace what is destroyed.

Yes, it’s only a fence, but sometimes, a fence is a lot more than just a fence. It’s a glimpse into the inner workings of an entire process.