Officer's Killing Of DeFarra Gaymon Sparks New County-Level Advisory Committee

Gay rights activists said Thursday night that they won't use Atlanta CEO DeFarra "Dean" Gaymon as a "poster child" but that they will use his shooting death to push for changes in the way county parks are patrolled by police.

"People ask me 'why are you making him a poster child?' and I say that we are purposely not doing this and that we have been purposeful not to identify or assume [his] sexual identity when we don't know for sure what it was," said Darnell L. Moore, chairman of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Concerns Advisory Commission of the City of Newark.

The commission met Thursday evening at Newark City Hall.

Gaymon, 48, was shot and killed by Essex County undercover officer Edward Esposito — first identified by Montclair Patch — after Gaymon allegedly solicited sex from him in Branch Brook Park on July 16. The officer was part of a sheriff's office operation created in 2005 that was designed to address complaints that two county-run parks had turned into pickup spots for gay men.

Gaymon, a married father of four, was in New Jersey to attend the 30th Montclair High School reunion he had helped organize.

Two weeks after the incident, authorities suspended undercover patrols at both Branch Brook Park in Newark and also at South Mountain Reservation.

Moore said Thursday night that LGBTIQ representatives had held "very productive" meetings with Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura and Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVencenzo to discuss the issue of "cruising" and public safety in Essex County parks.

"And what was decided is that there will be a county-level advisory board formed that can push forth with recommendations," he said. "This will be a phenomenal thing and I believe this will be the first such county-level advisory group of its type in the entire state."

Moore said a planning meeting to get the ball rolling would be held Friday, August 13.

"We don't have a mission statement yet but many groups want to work with us on this advisory group," he said.

Throughout recent talks with county and law enforcement officials, Moore emphasized that he and other activists had been careful not to make Gaymon's sexual identity a part of the discussions "out of respect for him and his family."

Instead, Moore said he has responded to this tragedy by focusing on it as a public safey issue, one in which gay groups can work with other community organizations such as the People's Organization for Progress.

LGBTIQ commission members said Thursday night that they've also been in constant communication with the office of Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker.

In general, a wide range of recommendations could result from the advisory board's meetings including: that police patrolling parks ride without guns; that police patrolling parks ride in identifiable cars; and that clear warnings always be given before an arrest is made.

"The advisory board will research all of these issues," Moore said.

No one from the county or sheriff's office attended Thursday night's meeting but recently Fontoura said that he would work with local gay rights activists to see if both sides could come up with a plan to bring an end to lewd behavior in the parks.

Fontoura has declined to specify any specific changes that might be made as a result of Gaymon's daeth but has said "there will be a full review."

Moore said it's a shame that it's taken a tragedy to spark steps towards real and positive changes in the community.

"We're optimistic that in the midst of this tragedy real action is going to result," he said. "It will really be something if we walk away with a county-level advisory arm in a constituency that is home to so many LGBT folks.

"It's just sad that it often takes a tragedy such as this to spur people to action," he said.