'Defy Phil Murphy' chants ring out during Open NJ Rally in Newton
Lori Comstock
lcomstock@njherald.com
NEWTON — A rally demanding the state reopen businesses that have been hurt by the coronavirus shutdown brought out a crowd of about 65 people to the Newton Green Tuesday, including local business owners and their supporters.
Under a sweltering sun, participants held American flags and raised signs above their heads during the "Open NJ Rally," at which they called for Gov. Phil Murphy to reopen all businesses immediately as COVID-19 cases drop.
Among those speaking during the two-hour event was Jennifer Rogers, the owner of the Randolph Tennis Center, who organized a May 30 rally in the parking lot of her own facility. Rogers has vowed to fight summonses she received on June 6 for hosting the gathering.
Rogers, whose business has been closed for 87 days, said, "My bills runs me over $30,000 a month and I have had zero help paying the bills, including the $85,000 property taxes a year."
As the group rallied, Murphy was announcing the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, citing steadily declining infection and death rates. The governor lifted the statewide stay-at-home order and raised the number of people allowed to gather indoors to 25% of a building's capacity or 50 people, whichever is lower. This includes religious services but not indoor dining.
The limit for outdoor gatherings will now be 100 people and the governor, speaking at a news conference, said he anticipates that limit will rise to 250 on June 22 and 500 people on July 3.
On May 22, Murphy eased restrictions on outdoor recreation, with golf ranges and tennis clubs among them. Out of desperation to get work for her eight tennis professionals, Rogers said, she turned her parking lot into two tennis courts.
"We aren't allowed in my huge building with a ceiling of 37-feet-high, but we can be in my parking lot," she said. "I still cannot figure out how people can crowd into all the big box stores and I can't be in my building, which is bigger than a Super Walmart, by the way."
Darlene Palley, owner of Franklin CKO Kickboxing, said it has been an "emotional ride" for her the last three months, noting she felt despair, loneliness and depression.
After attending the Randolph rally and meeting Rogers, she felt the need to go to more rallies and support her fellow small business owners. Palley described how her business was deemed non-essential and shut down, for what she believed would have been just two weeks.
"I, of course, was concerned, but I absolutely did my part in the community to make sure my members, my family and my community was safe," she said. "Two weeks turned into a month and I found it strange that no one I knew was sick, none of my members were sick, none of my family was sick and I started to question things."
A month turned into two months. Then three months.
"How is it possible an entire (fitness) industry dedicated to making people healthy is not allowed to operate? How is that possible?" Palley said.
Palley has applied for every loan she is aware of, but she said due to having just part-time employees, many don't apply to her.
She has pivoted to hosting outdoor classes in a park in Franklin, hanging up racks and heavy bags that she has to put up and take down every day.
"This is what I've had to do to survive,. Can you imagine taking a class outside in 100 degree heat?" Palley said. "It is not profitable to have to pivot. It is not sustainable."
John McCann, who is running for the Republican nomination for the 5th Congressional District, noted that the small business community "represents something more important than you may imagine."
"They are the leaders of our society. They don't do it for money," McCann said. "You know why? The average take-home pay for a small business owner is $60,000, and then you have to pay your health insurance."
McCann stood at one point with the event's co-host, James Baldini, who is also running for the Republican nomination for the 5th District. "It's this kind of unity amongst ourselves that will save America," McCann said.
"If you win or I win, it doesn't matter," he said. "What matters is we represent something. We are here to support the entrepreneurs of our district, of our state and our country."
Tuesday's rally was quiet, although a few chants rang out in the crowd at times, including "Defy Phil Murphy" and "Stop voting Democrat." Early on, the crowd rang out with the words "F*** Murphy," along with other statements against the Democratic governor.
Several other speakers took to the podium including Eli Slossberg, who founded the Live BOLD platform to help struggling small businesses.
Murphy has previously set the reopening of retail stores, outdoor dining and daycares to June 15 with hair and nail salons and barbershops able to open on June 22. Youth, high school and college sports are allowed to resume June 22, as well, and pools can also open on that date. High school graduations, capped at 500, can take place beginning July 6.
Lori Comstock can also be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.
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