Jacob Riis Park rich with history and has been very popular. Various ethnicities migrate to various areas o the park. By gathering at the many Bays people of different races and cultures were able to mingle. However, a decline occurred in the 1990’s and the amount of visitors has remained low. Chapter Five, “Jacob Riis Park,” analyzes the views of people in different areas of the park.
There were 131 interviews collected. One area that was used was Beach Bay One. “The trash that collects along the back side of the beach and this bay’s relative isolation certainly don’t stop people from coming to Bay 1.” (111) This is just one example of the lack of care when it came to this area of the park. Regardless of the trash, people are still willing to come. Men and women usually gathered in the area and there are many topless women. It is considered an adult area. The people that come to Bay one are usually sunbathing, socializing, and eating. “The bay is ethnically diverse, although there is a predominance of blacks and Hispanics.” (111) There are a large number of male visitors and the number of males interviewed (18) represent that. The people that were interviewed treasure the space because it proves them with freedom and liberation. The beach is also important because it is one of the few with a gay area. The inhabitants fell comfortable and safe meaning they are free to express themselves. “Yet, there also is a feeling that this bay has been abandoned or neglected by the park management, as indicated by the absence of a lifeguard, bathrooms, and concessions and by the abundance of trash and debris on the beach.” (112) Even though the place is not looked after, people still flock to the area.
It seems that once someone becomes attach to a place they visit it regardless of the condition. The people interviewed have connections with bay one. They came there with their friends and family. They were comfortable there because it was a gay beach; they felt like they could be themselves. That seemed like enough for them to keep coming back even though it was unsanitary.
There are many methods used when gathering ethnographic research. Not all methods work as well as others. Methods must be picked pertaining to the situation. Various methods are mentioned throughout the chapter such as cognitive, observational, historical and so forth. In Chapter 8, REAP uses many different methods to gain information.
“In REAP a number of methods are selected to produce different types of data from diverse sources that can be triangulated to provide a comprehensive analysis of the site.” (188) Some of the methods used are behavioral mapping, individual interviews, focus groups. When using behavioral mapping the activities of people are recorded. Individual interviews are collected from an identified population. There is never a set interview time or number of interviewees; it varies from site to site. Focus groups usually contain people that are important when it comes to determining the park site and local population. The number of people in a focus group usually ranges from 6 to 10.
If I had read this chapter before, I may have used different methods in gathering information for my project. This chapter clearly broke down and explained the different methods of gathering ethnographic data. A person isn’t shackled to one method.
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