By Pepper Fisher
SEQUIM – There was a rally in Sequim Wednesday to protest Gov. Inslee’s recent mandate that says all state employees and healthcare workers must show proof of vaccination by October 18 or lose their jobs.
We spoke with Amy, the organizer of the rally and herself a dental worker, live from the rally. She estimated there were at least 200 people standing on all 4 corners at the junction of Washington Street and Sequim Avenue.
“It’s really kind of a mixture of people. One of the nice things that I know for a fact is, looking around, I see people not just in dental, where I’m at, but in all different sorts of health care. Actually, somebody that I know was a nurse at OMC, she’s holding up a sign that says, ‘Last year’s hero, this year’s unemployed’, with her husband. And it’s just nice to see that, you know, everybody is coming out to show their support.”
Amy held a sign that read, “STOP THE MANDATE. NOT ANT-VAX, JUST ANTI-MANDATED ONES”.
“You know, we’re here standing up for our medical freedom. You know, we’re not trying to bully people who choose to make that decision, but it should be up to us. You know, the whole point is medical autonomy. Somebody else shouldn’t be making this decision for what we should do with our body. That’s the point of why we’re here.”
There was also a rally in Port Angeles at noon along Front Street near Race. Susan Rodman was on her way to attend the rally in Sequim when, at the last minute, she heard about the Port Angeles event and decided to join them instead.
Holding a sign that read, “NO FORCED VAX”, here’s how she described the crowd of about 40 people.
“Very enthusiastic. A lot of kids and moms. Definitely some guys there too. It was a well-rounded crowd. There were definitely healthcare workers. I just I didn’t recognize everyone, we were pretty spread out along the street.”
Amy says she was told a similar rally was being planned in Port Townsend.