Maplewood/South Orange Group To Hold Protest At Post Office
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — SOMA Action, a South Orange/Maplewood-based grassroots organization, will hold a rally at the Maplewood Post Office this Friday afternoon at noon that they said is meant to support the United States Postal Service.
In a release, they said, "We must act now to stop these attacks and protect our election process. The new postmaster general, Republican mega-donor Louis DeJoy, is orchestrating a general slowdown in operations..."
DeJoy recently eliminated overtime for most postal workers, reduced the quantity and use of mail-processing equipment, and restricted transportation. Many people have reported mailboxes being removed from the street and getting their mail weeks late. DeJoy said the measures were an effort to make the money-losing agency more efficient, but seemed to come suddenly and at an odd time, considering the presidential election in 11 weeks and the reliance on mail-in ballots amid coronavirus.
On Tuesday, DeJoy's office announced it will halt the changes until after the election.
SOMA Action said, of the protest, "Face masks and 6-foot social distancing requirements will be strictly complied with at all events."
They characterized the protest as "a community protest to support the USPS in the face of Donald Trump’s attacks and defunding efforts which threaten our right to vote and the integrity of the 2020 presidential election."
The event will run from noon to 1 p.m. at the Maplewood Post Office at 195 Maplewood Ave.
SOMA is among organizations partnering with Blue Wave NJ to stage demonstrations across New Jersey to "demand that the full Postal Service funding passed by the U.S. House of Representatives be immediately enacted into law and Trump’s political appointees cease their sabotage of mail operations and prepare the postal service for the surge in mail-in ballots this fall."
The movement apparently has some supporters in the area. On Tuesday, a resident of Westfield posted in a community Facebook group, "Does anyone know if there are local rallies planned at any post offices?"
Someone replied, with a smiley face emoticon, "With this one post you could have sent out 100 letters to people in Westfield with 100 stamps that you bought from the post office. But you decided to use free social media."
The group has more than 2000 members in South Orange and Maplewood, and was formed after the 2016 election, they say.
For more information, contact info@somaaction.org.
Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. To keep up with breaking news in Maplewood as soon as it happens, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.
This article originally appeared on the Maplewood Patch
