POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ — Several hundred people descended on Point Pleasant Beach Monday to call on Gov. Phil Murphy to fully reopen New Jersey’s economy after more than two months of closures due to the coronavirus crisis.
Chanting “Reopen New Jersey now” and “all businesses are essential,” the protest drew residents from across New Jersey to the Silver Lake parking lot for the “Freedom March of NJ,” which included speeches by Sen. Joe Pennachio, a Republican from Morris County, and the owners of two gyms that opened last week in violation of Murphy’s executive orders that shut down the state in March.
“Thousands of people are strolling through Home Depot every day buying widgets and gadgets yet we’re denying our small businesses the right to sell those same widgets and gadgets,” Pennachio said. “Gov. Murphy you took an oath to uphold the constitution under God. Gov. Murphy, let my people go.”
Don’t miss local and New Jersey announcements about coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.
Murphy on Thursday said he hoped it would be a matter of weeks before those businesses and others could reopen, part of “stage two” of the state’s reopening plan. Read more: Gov. Murphy Provides Timeframe For NJ Salon, Gym, Dining Reopen
At least one group of business owners isn’t willing to wait weeks. One of the speakers at the protest said a coalition of gyms and salons, estimated at 400 to 500 businesses, is planning to open in unision on June 1.
“As business owners and members we won’t stand for our civil liberties and rights to be infringed on to be able to make a living and have a healthy immune system to defend against the virus itself!” the New Jersey Business Coalition Opening 6/1/2020 said on its Facebook group. “We are making it clear we have been patient and we will no longer wait to open one more day beyond June 1st!”
The event was held across the street from Jenkinson’s amusements and the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk, which has been closed all weekend because the borough does not have enough police officers to manage the crowds that usually come for Memorial Day weekend, Point Beach Mayor .
“You can’t go to any of the stores on the boardwalk to buy sunglasses, T-shirts or flip-flops, but you can go two blocks off the beach to buy them at Dollar General,” said Sen. Michael Testa, a Republican from Cumberland County. “We have to stop this insanity.”
“Two summers ago, I thought the Jersey Shore was back,” said a man who owns a hair salon on Arnold Avenue, one of three he owns. “Now there are at least five stores that have ‘For Rent’ signs.”
Murphy ordered businesses and schools across the state to shut down on March 16, and on March 21 issued a stay-at-home order in an effort to promote social distancing and limit the spread of the virus. In the last few weeks, the rate of increase of the number of cases and the rate of daily deaths have slowed, and the number of hospitalizations and those on ventilators have fallen, leading to a loosening of restrictions. Murphy has issued orders reopening state parks and beaches up and down the state have reopened, with a mix of restrictions meant to promote social distancing. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here’s What You Need To Know
But for some, the pace of reopening has been far too slow. More than 1 million unemployment claims have been filed, thousands are still waiting to receive their first unemployment payments, and with mounting bills and no income, people are demanding the reopening move more quickly.
Murphy has repeatedly said the pace of the reopening will be dictated by the data and scientific information.
On Friday, Murphy increased the number of people permitted at outdoor gatherings to 25. Beaches have been opened along much of the Jersey Shore, with restrictions.
Pennachio even took aim at the issue of wearing masks, which has been a point of conflict for weeks. Murphy ordered customers and store employees to wear masks in stores on April 8, state officials have urged people to wear masks when they are out in public if they will be in situations where they will be within 6 feet of others.
“It feels good to shake hands without masks again,” Pennachio said, sparking cheers and chants of “No more masks.” Few if any masks were seen on attendees, and at one point a speaker urged everyone to “reach out and touch someone,” prompting hugs among those in attendance.
“There’s very little science involved and very little common sense,” Pennachio said of the restrictions. “Don’t depend on government for your freedoms. Those freedoms as we speak are being denied under the guise of public health.”
There have been 155,092 New Jersey residents who have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 11,144 have died of complications from the virus, as of Monday. In the last few weeks, the rate of increase of the number of cases and the rate of daily deaths have slowed, and the number of hospitalizations and those on ventilators have fallen, leading to a loosening of restrictions. Murphy has issued orders reopening state parks and beaches up and down the state have reopened, with a mix of restrictions meant to promote social distancing.
Half of the deaths in the state have been at nursing homes, an issue that has drawn pointed criticisms and scrutiny. Read more: NJ: ‘We Can Do Better’ In Troubled Nursing Home COVID Crisis
“They are denying life itself,” Pennachio said. “The state was warned about the danger.”
Also in attendance were Ian Smith, co-owner of the Bellmawr gym that opened last week in violation of the state’s closure order, and Kyle Newell, owner of the Hillsborough gym that opened later in the week.
An attorney representing Smith said the closure — which he said escalated to the locks being changed on the Bellmawr gym — is a violation of Smith’s constitutional rights. Read more: South Jersey Gym That Defied Murphy Reopens After NJ Shut It Down
Last week, the New Jersey Republican State Committee filed a lawsuit seeking to force Murphy to allow small businesses to reopen, claiming Murphy’s decisions on essential businesses were arbitrary and violate the equal protections clause of the Constitution.
“Governor Murphy has irreparably harmed New Jersey small businesses by arbitrarily declaring some essential and others nonessential,” said Doug Steinhardt, chairman of the Republican State Party. “While mom and pop barbers, bars, brew pubs and retail shops are shuttered and struggling, big box stores, with big cash cushions, survive. (He) has callously covered his ears, closed his eyes, and ignored New Jersey’s cries for honest answers to real problems.”
That lawsuit followed one filed by three Toms River businesses and a group of Toms River high school seniors seeking to force changes to the reopening plan, including allowing in-person high school graduations. Read more: Toms River Students, Businesses Sue To Overturn Murphy’s Orders
“We have the right to want more and expect more for our children,” Pennachio said. “Only God has given us those rights and only God can take them away.
At times the protest resembled a rally for President Donald Trump, with chants of “USA” and “America First” and even “Lock him up,” which was directed at Murphy over the issues with unemployment and the nursing home deaths.