the staff of the Ridgewood blog
The Randolph Tennis Center held what organizers called the “Reopen Businesses and Restore Livelihoods Rally.” Dozens gathered to hear speakers ask Gov. Phil Murphy to lift restrictions on businesses in order to help owners provide for their families during the pandemic. Under Governor Murphy’s prosecuting the knucklehead executive orders , Gurbir Grewal, the state Attorney General offered some some guidance.
Gurbir Grewal, the state Attorney General said buried in the guidelines was the AG’s order that local prosecutors dismiss executive order violations “filed against organizers of outdoor political protests or outdoor religious services.” There have been five such violations, according to the AG.
One of them appears to be an anti-lockdown protest held in late May at the Randolph Tennis Center. That drew about 200 people, including three of the five Republican U.S. Senate candidates in the July 7 primary.Jennifer Rogers, the owner of the center, was ticketed a few days later by local police, prompting vocal condemnation from Republicans and other critics of the Murphy Administration.
A spokesman for Randolph Police said the department was following state orders and that large outdoor gatherings were not permitted.
Owner Jennifer Rogers exclaimed on her Facebook page after the victory , “I stood my ground and stood up to the State of NJ and Governor Murphy. All the criminal charges against me have been DROPPED. Now the real work begins as we try to take back our constitutional rights for New Jersey residents. I have retained a John McCann, a prominent civil rights attorney who will help with this. Please consider donating to my go fund me account to help me continue the fight” : https://www.gofundme.com/f/defend-jenni-rogers