ROYAL OAK, Mich. – From Washington to Royal Oak -- people rallied to demand Congress do something to protect the Post Office.
People from all over Metro Detroit protested in Royal Oak Saturday. They said not only is the Post Office essential for democracy in November, but also to their every day lives.
Dozens of protesters picketed and marched around the Post Office just off Second Street, each with a sign and a mission -- to make sure the United States Postal Service stays funded and United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy resigns. Protesters said both are critical to voting come November.
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The protest happening as Congress was debating whether to send a $25 billion boost to Post Office funding after weeks of reported mail delays and images of dismantled sorting machines and piles mail filled social media.
“It’s intentional sabotage of the Postal Service with the intent of trying to affect the elections,” said retired postal worker Charles Thomas. “I feel harmed because I am harmed because I depend on the mail and I feel angry because it’s impacting everybody.”
Thomas spoke to protesters Saturday urging they do everything the could to make their voices heard.
“When you mess with the Post Office for the sake of trying to mess with the ballots, you are messing with the entire institution, the entire organization,” Thomas said. “You are messing with the lives of all Americans -- inside and outside the contiguous United States.”
With heated debate over mail delays, the House approved legislation in a rare Saturday session that would reverse recent changes in U.S. Postal Service operations and send $25 billion to shore up the agency ahead of the November election.