Pride Month Celebrated By Morris County Officials

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Pride Month is marked through June, and members of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office attended various Pride events this past weekend to kick off the celebration.

LGBTQ advocates have long felt alienated by law enforcement, whether as a result of earlier police mistreatment that led to the 1969 Stonewall riots, which sparked a movement aimed at ending years of anti-gay persecution and harassment, or for other reasons.

Local agencies in Morris County have been working to change the narrative by increasing outreach to help bridge the gap with the community.

On Thursday, June 1, several Morris County officials joined their law enforcement partners in the Dover Police Department for the launch of the Safe Space Initiative ceremony at the Dover Public Library.

The library was designated as Dover's first safe space, with the goal of providing victims with a safe place to report bias and hate crimes. The library will provide them with shelter while they contact the police.

MCPO Detective Supervisor Stephanie Merced and Detective Nicole Mercuro attended Jersey Pride in Asbury Park on Sunday, June 4, a large-scale outreach and community event

Merced and Mercuro are Morris County Prosecutor's Office LGBTQ+ liaisons who marched alongside other members of the LGBTQ+ New Jersey Liaisons Enforcement Program. Mercuro became the 116th member of the program, which grew from 15 members in 2020 to 116 this year.

The liaisons were grateful to be a part of the march, and many people approached them to thank them for their service, officials said.

In recent years, New Jersey has made strides in confronting past homophobic policies. Former Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal apologized for his office's systematic targeting of gay bars between 1933 and 1967.

• Read related: Then And Now: Celebrating 30 Years Of LGBTQIA+ Pride In NJ

"Law enforcement exists to protect and serve everyone, regardless of one’s background or individuality. Unfortunately, there have been and continue to be circumstances where people in certain communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community, are hesitant to seek assistance from law enforcement," Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said last year during National Coming Out Day.