||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR |||


Monday, the last day in January, the weather was sunny-ish for this time of year, as a group of islanders gathered in the early afternoon at the Village Green in what was supposed to be a peaceful protest of COVID mask mandates. The march was in solidarity with a statewide take off your mask day for the kids, as well as with a massive truck convoy across Canada/ US borders where over a million people are gathered at Parliament demanding to end all mandates now. 

To the righteous dismay of protest organizers, some in the group of 30-40 islanders were not in lockstep with the intention to walk peacefully through the Village of Eastsound. The group had been summoned to participate in the rally through posts on social media sites. Some demonstrators took it upon themselves to also enter local businesses — unmasked and disruptive — where they were asked by employees at Ray’s Pharmacy, at Island Market, and at the medical center to leave the building.

Although troublesome and disturbing, the demonstrations did not rise to a level wherein law enforcement was called to the scene.


 

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