Journal Square in Jersey City becomes 'Condom Nation' as group gives out thousands of free condoms, along with HIV testing

June 02, 2012, 3:03 AM
By M.G. De Guzman / The Jersey Journal

Young men and women darted in and out of the traffic lanes, smiling and talking with pedestrians and drivers alike, all the while asking anyone who looked their way a question you don?t hear every day: ?You want some free condoms??

Even for Journal Square, where people from all walks of life converge, the scene was strange.

?We wanted to be seen,? said Marco Benjamin, the project manager for Condom Nation, which made Journal Square its capital, if only for a few hours. ?It?s important.?

Mission accomplished. From the curious onlookers to the ?if-it?s-free-it?s-for-me? crowd, to the people who were thoroughly offended at the image of a large condom adorning a tractor trailer in the Square, Condom Nation certainly got people?s attention.

?Whoever allowed this should be fired,? said Jersey City developer Tony DeLuca, who was walking with his daughter when they saw the 18-wheeler.

?It sends the entire wrong message about Jersey City and the people of Jersey City,? said DeLuca, who argued that the campaign negatively affects the image of an area that is looking to recreate itself.

Besides distributing free condoms, the group performed free HIV tests. The event was also sponsored by local groups Hyacinth AIDS Foundation?s Project LOL Mpowerment Jersey City and Hudson Pride Connections Center.

?So far, we?ve given out 50,000 condoms today,? Benjamin, 31, of Jersey City, said at 2 p.m. ?We should give out 70,000 by the end of the day.?

Condom Nation plans to visit 40 cities and 25 states in an effort to promote safe sex and HIV awareness. The tour was originally scheduled for six months, but has been so well received that it may continue it until the end of the year, Benjamin said.

Jersey City teacher Kathleen Hawkes, 56, doesn?t think handing out condoms is the answer.

?Why don?t they educate people? That?s what they need to do, not give out free condoms,? Hawkes said.

While the event had its detractors, there were plenty of people who were glad to receive the gift. For one woman, a small strip of condoms wasn?t enough. When told she couldn?t have any more, she grabbed as many as she could and took off.

?That?s not the first time that?s happened,? one volunteer said.
Shannon DeLuca, the developer?s 14-year-old daughter, a student at St. Dominic Academy in Jersey City, was disgusted by the display.

?I understand what they?re trying to do, but it?s not the message I?d send out to people. To people my age, they would think it?s OK to have sex,? she said.

Jersey City spokesman Stan Eason said that the groups obtained the proper permits needed to occupy the space and distribute the contraceptives.

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