Part of the NJ economy hit hard by shutdown that you don’t see (Opinion)

We all know about the bars, restaurants and gyms that can't have customers inside. Many small retailers recently reopened, now with limited capacity, and are barely hanging on due to Gov. Phil Murphy's executive orders.

The workers you don't often hear about, but that have been devastated by the shutdowns, are the gig workers. Performers like musicians, comedians, actors and anyone in the live performance industry have been nearly ruined. It's not only the performers you see on stage but the countless professionals that work behind the scenes that put all of those shows together.

There is a group of people trying spread awareness of their plight and raise some much-needed money for the many people employed in the industry who are desperately trying to hang on to their homes and feed their families. It's the Live Events Coalition.  Friends of our in the events industry have had to cancel shows throughout the summer and now most of their events through the fall are canceled as well.

They've tried to sit down and talk with the governor about anything they can do to make things easier for their industry, but he won't give them the time of day. The PPP and SBA loans can't help many of these people who make their living in the live events industry. They're just trying to get included in the ongoing national conversation and supplemental federal relief aid packages.

Log onto the site and find out what you can do to help. We all can't wait to get back out and enjoy a night of entertainment or even a live corporate or private even, that these hard-working folks put together so well. It's one of the many diverse facets of the economy that our heartless, ruthless, out-of-touch governor has ignored. Maybe with your help we can get his attention on this and try to make him realize just how many desperate, hard-working people he is impacting with his single handed heartless tyranny.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis' own.