Occupy ‘ball’ street
Rush for STD tests
By LAURA ITALIANO, FRANK ROSARIO and BOB FREDERICKS
Last Updated: 10:39 AM, November 1, 2011
It’s the Autumn of Love!
Occupy Wall Street protesters are flocking to nearby health clinics for STD and HIV testing after getting their freak on in ’60s-style hookups with crusty strangers, sources told The Post yesterday.
“Last week was free love,” said a medical professional at a clinic located a short walk from Zuccotti Park, referring to the number of people who organizers have referred for sexually transmitted disease testing.
A volunteer at the park admitted concern among protesters about STDs.
“We give directions to clinics if people ask for information regarding STDs,” said the volunteer, who identified himself only as “Captain” and added that pregnancy tests are also a hot item.
“Like anything else, it happens. People ask, and we do the best we can for them.”
Volunteers at the medical tent hand out cash, usually $15 or $20, so the randy radicals can visit clinics that cater to a low-income clientele, the source said.
Experts said it’s the right thing to do.
“My advice for the protesters would be to practice safer sex. It’s a lot cheaper to buy a condom than get treated for an STD,” said Dr. Lisa Oldson, medical director of Chicago-based Analyte Health, which provides testing services for labs nationwide, including STD Test Express New York.
Also yesterday, a man who was punched in the head by a NYPD deputy inspector met with prosecutors to try to have the cop charged with misdemeanor assault.
“Nobody is claiming that this is the crime of the century, but what he did ... was assault,” said Ron Kuby, the lawyer for Felix Rivera-Pitre, who was hit by Deputy Inspector John Cardona in an incident caught on video.
Meanwhile, more than 100 protesters joined last night’s Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village, with several dressed as “corporate zombies.”
Additional reporting by Hannah Rappleye and Doug Auer
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