SPOKANE, Wash. — Protesters in Spokane are rallied Thursday against Gov. Jay Inslee's mandate that requires face masks to be worn in Washington state.
Washington's face mask mandate, which goes into effect on Friday, makes face masks mandatory in indoor and outdoor settings when it's not possible to maintain 6 feet of distance. The mandate comes as coronavirus cases have spiked across the state of Washington.
"Governor Inslee has overstepped his authority," the event's description reads. "Let's make some noise and let him know that we do not support his tyranny (masks or otherwise!)"
Demonstrators met at the Spokane Regional Health District building on Thursday morning before marching to City Hall. At about noon, they went to the Washington State University-Spokane campus, where Inslee is met with workers, local elected officials and health leaders throughout the afternoon.
KREM's Taylor Viydo reported that protesters could be heard yelling outside of the building as Inslee met with frontline and essential workers. They were holding signs that read, "Inslee must go," "No mask, my choice," and "Freedom is the cure."
At about 2:15 p.m., KREM's Amanda Roley reported that the group of protesters had thinned out significantly.
