Towson Rallies Around Post Office As Part Of National Protest

TOWSON, MD — Activists rallied outside the Towson post office Saturday in a show of support for the U.S. Postal Service. The event was one of more than 800 Save the Post Office demonstrations nationwide coordinated through political action group MoveOn and partner organizations.

Indivisible Towson helped organize protests at the Towson and Timonium post offices.

"I was prompted to organize the event when I learned last week of the slowdowns at the U.S. Postal Service caused by Postmaster [General] Louis DeJoy's massive reorganization of the USPS, and the removal of high-volume sorting machines, and blue mail collection boxes," said Marta Mills, who organized the Towson Save the Post Office rally as a member of Indivisible Towson.

"Then with President Trump's statement that he is blocking funding for the post office to stop mail-in voting and the USPS warning that ballots may not be counted because they will be too late, it was the last straw for me," Mills said. "To suppress our right to vote safely during a pandemic is outrageous. I knew many other people felt the same outrage."

She estimated more than 100 people attended Saturday's demonstration on Chesapeake Avenue.

See Also: Save The Post Office Rally In Towson Pics, Videos

"At least 80 or 90 percent were here for voter suppression," Mills told Patch after the event.

"People are very angry about the mail slowdowns and having our voting threatened," Mills said. "The idea that our vote could be suppressed ... is very disturbing. The most disturbing thing that could happen to this country, to our democracy, in my opinion, is voter suppression." Mail may be "the only safe way for a lot of people to vote now" due to the coronavirus pandemic, she said.

As they were rallying in Towson, U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Maryland) was preparing to vote in support of the Delivering for America Act.

Sarbanes accused DeJoy of "being quite evasive," and said: "We're trying to translate the voices of the people into action on Capitol Hill."

The bill passed through the U.S. House of Representatives Saturday evening. The legislation calls for a $25 billion infusion to the U.S. Postal Service.

"If there is a silver lining to this storm cloud, it is that President Trump's attacks and Postmaster General DeJoy's act have brought a renewed appreciation for the postal service and its frontline workers," Joyce Leviton, assistant to U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) said, reading a statement from the senator at the rally in Towson. "The more public awareness and outcry, the better. We need to do everything possible ... to ensure that people are encouraged and able to vote." She added: "We are facing an inflection point in our history. It's time for all hands on deck."

Among the protesters in Towson was Crosby King.

"I'm big on civil rights, and the right to use the post office is one of the biggest that there is," said King, who lives in Towson. "Like most people, it just makes me ill to see what they're doing to the post office."

He said he was concerned that issues with the postal service could call the election into question.

"As it stands now, Trump is going to get his butt handed to him," King said. "And the best way to keep that from happening is to keep people from voting."

Several politicians have accused the postmaster general, a Trump appointee, of helping the president with efforts to stall mail-in voting, and Trump has said he opposes funding that would allow for more ballots to be cast by mail. Maryland's attorney general has joined his counterparts in other states in filing a lawsuit to stop what critics have called the Trump administration's attempted teardown of the U.S. Postal Service ahead of mail-in voting for the presidential election.

More than 800 protests were planned nationwide through MoveOn.org, with activists calling on DeJoy to resign in the wake of mail slowdowns and on Congress to “protect and save the post office from Donald Trump” to act to safeguard the integrity of mail and elections.

Here are actions organizers suggested for those who want to support the MoveOn.org effort:

• Sign the petition on MoveOn.
• Confirm you are a registered voter.
• Vote.
• Make sure everyone you know votes.

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Related:

• Towson 'Save The Post Office' Rally Planned
• MD Election 2020: How To Get Mail-In Ballot
• Maryland Democrats: DeJoy Got Caught 'Red-Handed'
• Under Pressure, Postmaster General DeJoy Says He Will Delay Cuts Until After the Election