PORTLAND, Ore — More than 50 people showed their support for the United States Postal Service outside of an office in Portland, including U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and State Senator Shemia Fagan.
It was a national protest that took place at 11 a.m. local time at Post Offices across the country and Portlanders showed their support at the Post Office on SE 103rd Drive.
“We're here to save the U.S. Postal Service, this is a service that or that Americans and Oregonians had relied on since the birth of our country,” said Senator Fagan.
Former and current postal workers were among the people to take a stand against the federal changes that were implemented in post offices around the country including the collection of a number of USPS mail drop off bins and the removal of mail sorting machines.
“For the next 70 days Oregonians want to know where their elected officials stand whose side are they on,” said Wyden.
Kevin Card, a letter carrier for over 25 years and local leader of the postal workers’ union was there in solidarity.
“We're asking for the same thing that corporate America got months ago and that is a little hand up to help the Postal Service continue to do what we've done for over 200 years,” said Card.
Organizers of the rally said it was in direct response to the Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s decision to issue a series of directives leading to the delay of mail ahead of the November election. That is particularly detrimental in a state like Oregon, which has been doing mail-in voting for years.
The group was calling for full funding, no delays and for DeJoy to resign.
Senator Wyden said the delays won’t just affect the election in November but also the everyday needs of Oregonians, particularly during the pandemic.
"If we continue to see this reduction in service and reduction in funds, a lot of people are going to get their medicine delayed in the COVID-era that means you're going to get sicker and folks could die,” said Wyden.
There have been discussions nationally about voter fraud that is made successful by mail-in ballots, but Fagan said that is just not true.
"There's simply no evidence we have done it safely, securely and excessively for over 20 years here in Oregon it works and they need to do it particularly during this pandemic,” she said.
The group was clear in their message encouraging people to vote and vote early. It is planning another Save the Post Office rally on Tuesday, August 25, at the post office located at SE 7th Avenue in Southeast Portland.