What's with this strange red hand print showing up on sussex county storefronts?

What’s With This Strange Red Hand Print Showing up on Sussex County Storefronts?

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1 min read
August 22, 2022

VERNON, NJ – If you have been out to a restaurant or business in Sussex County recently, you may have noticed mysterious red hand print decals on the doors and windows of many businesses.

But what does it mean? Are they fans of the J. Geils Band and their hit album sanctuary that featured a hand print? Is it some kind of support for missing indigenous women, where the mark of a red hand print is often used?

According to Vernon Pledge 2 Pause, a non-profit group, the decal is a reminder to all to think twice and pause before posting a negative comment about a person or business online.

The Pledge 2 Pause is a self-commitment to think twice about using negative words against others on the internet, social media, and online business review sites.

The organization is trying to squelch negativity against restaurants, businesses, schools, municipal entities, and each other.

The handprint represents that the business has made the pledge and is encouraging its customers to do the same.

What a great idea.

It was launched in 2020. The movement has taken off as more people pledge to pause in Vernon and beyond.

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

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