While the past entries have
shed more than an accurate light on the central,
Jersey archetype that was Ginker, few have paid much attention to the current status of the
semi-retired people who once roamed so freely. In recent months, while compiling information for an upcoming documentary, ("Ginkers"), I have found that
indeed, many still exist. Although many of the once famous Ginker lairs have become strip malls, (Movie City 5) and the Brunswick
Square Mall no longer houses an arcade, the lingering
cigarette smoke and barely visible tire tracks have led us to some interesting discoveries. Though a scattered bunch, most Ginkers are still un-reformed. Of the representative sample we have interviewed, several are employed in the auto industry, doing well and still adhering to the Ginker culture. Two of the male Ginkers still owned and wore Iron Maiden tees, black denim, and even had the landscaper length hair that was epitome of Ginker rebellion in the middle 1980s. Of the females we found, many recalled with fervor the "Gate" behind East Brunswick High, and the "Path" on the way to Hammarskjold JHS. In addition, while still shunned by
society, all of the Ginkers we interviewed were both highly successful and happy that their unique breed has endured.
Being the younger
brother of a Ginker, I remember Friday nights at the Brunswick Sq. Mall and the sight of the Ginker
Pack, a fearsome circle housing several men with leather vests, chain wallets, and rock tees, drinking Orange
Julius and nodding defiantly to one another.