Tag: freedom

Reflections from Our NO KINGS Forest Park Rally: A Letter from Sue B

Signs made with care by an attendee

The first person I met at the rally was asking about parking. She had brought many signs and there was also something wrong with her eye, which quickly became a topic of conversation. She laughed and assured us she wasn’t attacked by ICE. We shared stories, laughed together, and found comfort in the small moments that connected us.

For those of you who know me, you know how much I love stories. And today, I’m sharing mine while encouraging everyone else to share theirs too. Our collective voice grows stronger when we listen to one another.

The Woman with the Signs

Back to my story: the woman with the black eye and the bag full of beautifully made signs. I commented on how much time it must have taken to make them. She told me it had taken every spare minute she had, but she was so disturbed by everything going on that she had to do something this was her way of helping. Making those signs, sharing them with others, gave her hope and purpose.

Sandwiches, Families, and Kindness

An attendee passing out sandwiches, protein bars, bananas, and water.

Many of you probably met the man pushing a cart, asking if we wanted a banana or a peanut butter sandwich. His story touched me deeply. He told me he had two small children ages one and five too young to bring along. So he and his wife decided she’d stay home with the kids while he came to the demonstration, handing out sandwiches to attendees.

How wonderful to meet someone who found a simple, heartfelt way to contribute. Thank you to his wife, too. The sandwiches were delicious and timely!

Meeting Walter

Say No To Postal Privatization.

Many of you have probably met Walter or at least noticed him being everywhere all at once, helping everyone, keeping things running smoothly. He’s the heart of our little Saturday group (10–13 strong) that has been meeting weekly at the same location for weeks leading up to the rally.

He created the event and shared the site location where most of the 300 of us signed up to attend this “NO KINGS Forest Park” Saturday event. Our group The People’s Post Alliance Indivisible is part of the Indivisible network, and I love that we can now continue connecting there.

Too often, we spend weeks planning an event online, only to miss the chance afterward to celebrate our experiences together. I’m suggesting we change that. Let’s use our site to share our stories, reflections, and feedback just like this one.

A Community United

Saturday was special in so many ways. Walter greeted people with those bright yellow scarves that everyone loved. Indivisible’s choice of color was perfect, sunny, hopeful, unified. And the free water? Much appreciated on such a long day.

The No Kings Rally wasn’t just about standing up for democracy it was about meeting one another, sharing kindness, and realizing how many stories live within one movement.

Let’s keep sharing them.

Please Share Your Story

If you attended the No Kings Rally, we want to hear from you. Send your reflections, photos, or letters to info@thepeoplespostalliance.org so we can keep this spirit alive online and beyond.

Why an Independent Postal Service is Essential to Democracy.

Democracy depends on people having reliable access to communicate, receive information, and cast their ballots without interference. A truly independent postal service free from partisan control or profit motives is a foundational institution that safeguards those rights. When the postal service is neutral, transparent, and accountable to the public, it strengthens democracy. When it becomes politicized or undermined, trust erodes and with it, the legitimacy of electoral systems and civic participation.

Community Partnership

1. Universal Access & Equal Voice

  • A public postal service ensures that every person, regardless of where they live, how affluent they are, or their political views, can send and receive mail, ballots, packages, and essential correspondence.
  • Without this coverage, underserved or rural communities often become last priority, amplifying inequality in access to civic tools.

2. Guarding Against Partisan Manipulation

  • If postal operations fall under direct political control, there’s a danger that party leaders could delay or intercept mail to favored or disfavored communities.
  • History shows that when power over communication channels concentrates in partisan hands, censorship or selective suppression often follows.

3. Ensuring Integrity of Mail Voting

  • Many democratic systems allow voting by mail (or absentee ballots). For that to function, the postal service must be trustworthy, punctual, and seen as impartial.
  • Delays, postal cuts, or interference can disenfranchise voters, especially during tight deadlines for ballot submission or counting.
  • In many recent elections, legal battles arose over how election mail is handled and whether it’s prioritized in the system.

4. Public Trust & Institutional Credibility

  • Citizens must believe that their mail and ballots will be delivered and processed without favoritism or sabotage.
  • When suspicions or reports of interference gain traction, it damages faith in all democratic institutions.

5. Freedom of Information & Civic Engagement

  • Postal systems carry not just votes but essential information: newspapers, voter guides, civic mail, petitions, and more.
  • Restricting or degrading postal capacity limits the flow of information, especially to remote or low-income areas.

Current Threats & Challenges

  • Proposals to privatize or corporatize postal services, which may prioritize profit over public interest.
  • Political pressure to absorb postal services into executive branches, potentially stripping oversight.
  • Funding cuts, reduced staffing, removal of sorting machines, or closure of local post offices under the guise of “efficiency.”
  • Misinformation about mail voting used as a pretext to erode postal integrity or reject ballots.

What We Must Demand / Defend

  • Legal protections that guarantee postal independence from political interference.
  • Adequate, stable funding and resources to maintain universal service.
  • Transparent governance with oversight by boards or structures that resist partisan capture.
  • Policy safeguards that election mail is treated as high priority, with clear deadlines and accountability.
  • Community awareness and organizing to defend local post offices, mail routes, and workers’ capacity.

Call to Action

We need you. Democracy is not passive, it requires vigilance and resistance. Here’s how you can help:

  • Educate your community: share this post, host discussions, bring awareness to local postal issues.
  • Advocate: write your representatives demanding protections for postal independence, oppose bills that strip oversight or privatize service.
  • Monitor: in your area, track changes in service (closures, delays, route cuts) and report them.
  • Support Postal Workers: they are the frontline defenders, back union efforts, safe working conditions, and fair staffing.
  • Vote: on electoral reform, transparency, and institutions that safeguard communication rights.

Let’s send a message loud and clear: an independent postal service is not optional, it’s essential to democracy itself.