On April 13th, the Office of the Governor of the States of Washington, Oregon, and California issued a joint statement announcing the creation of the ‘Western States Pact’. The goals of this pact are to protect vulnerable populations such as those in nursing homes and other long term care facilities; share personal protective equipment supplies; help mitigate non-direct COVID-19 health impacts with emphasis in disadvantaged communities; and develop systems of testing, tracking and isolating.
On April 27th of this year, Colorado and Nevada both announced that they would be joining the Western States Pact.This pact, although primarily centered around the COVID-19 pandemic devastating the world, shows the ability of local governments to create an alternative to the failed policies and programs of the United States federal government. This is one tiny step in the claiming of autonomy for the Cascadian region, but small acts of independence like these are what will grant us our legitimacy and ultimately our freedom.
