A NYC War Zone - Where The USPS Won't Deliver

[dales]

An inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City reads:


Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.[1]

Unless it's a gang-infested neighborhood...

Postmen are too scared to deliver letters and packages to one of Brooklyn’s most crime-ravaged neighborhoods, a US Postal Service worker told The Post yesterday.

“The neighborhood is bad,” the worker said outside the Brownsville Station Post Office on Bristol Street. “I wouldn’t want to go into those buildings.”

Snail mail that goes undelivered finds its way back to the post office, where it can stew for several days until a carrier decides to deliver it — or residents are forced to come pick it up.

“Have you seen this neighborhood? It’s on the news every day,” the terrified employee said.

About 50 angry residents — organized by the neighborhood chapter of New York Communities for Change — gathered in front of the post office yesterday to protest the epidemic of late mail and parcels that never arrive.

Letter-starved residents acknowledged their nabe — rife with gang violence — is frightening but said that’s no excuse for them to miss out on their mail.

“The postal workers have a right to fear for their life,” said Quantanya White, 38, a home health-care worker. “It doesn’t give them the right not to deliver the mail. Just because this place is bad, you’re not going to deliver the mail?

“But I do understand why the mailmen feel fear. If I feel unsafe going into certain buildings, they must also.”

Most galling is that the situation contradicts the postal service’s unofficial motto, according to state Sen. Eric Adams — who said he would be ringing the postmaster to request an investigation.

“That is unbelievable. Government services can’t be stopped at the boundaries of high-crime areas,” he said. “They need to re-read that motto — through hail, sleet and snow.”

Adams, who represents Brownsville and is running for borough president, said he hasn’t heard anything about postal carriers being assaulted or robbed in his district but added that, if that’s the case, the police should start protecting them.

But fear isn’t the only factor — some couriers are just mailing it in, other residents said.

“We do pay taxes,” said Crystal Caesar, 30, a social-service worker. “They could make more of an effort to ring my bell when I have a package. It’s a headache to come to the post office.”

Other couriers just can’t hack it.

“Our carrier had a heart attack, so she can’t walk upstairs,” said Yolanda Matthews, 58. “Now we have a different person delivering every day, and it’s inconsistent. They don’t deliver mail until after 8, and if they can’t get in the building by buzzing someone, they don’t come in because they don’t have a key.”

She has missed letters from her lawyer and her doctor, as well as checks from the state.

“We’re getting bad service here because it’s Brownsville — people on Riverside Drive get their mail at 10 in the morning,” she said “Something’s got to change.”

[Joe Guy]

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night with the exception of gang-infested neighborhoods stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

I don't blame them but what's the solution?

Hazardous duty pay and body armor perhaps?

[dales]

The solution lies with residents having to pick up their mail at the post office.

Sure, it's a hassle but until the people that live in those 'hoods get sick and tired enough to rat out the people that are doing the killing. Nothing will change.

Oakalnd, Richmond and EPA are already nearing that point.

Gentrification has done much to cure Redwood City..........

[Jarlaxle]

They can't rat out the killers...because doing so is tantamount to suicide! Some of the gangbangers will kill not just the snitch, but his or her entire family!

The solution is probably carpet bombing.

[dales]

Yanno Jarl .......

We do have smart bombs and if we know where the banging fools live we could take out the entire building. There would be collateral damage but it takes a few broken eggs to make an omlete, no?

[Joe Guy]

Sounds like a good place to send some drones.

Maybe they could drop off the mail between gang attacks.

[Lord Jim]

I've got to believe this has come up before....

For decades there have been neighborhoods in some cities where even the fire departments and EMT personnel won't go without being accompanied by the police...(And of course these neighborhoods can't get service from private businesses, like restaurant delivery or taxi service at all.)

When you think about it, a letter carrier is in an even much more vulnerable position than firefighters or ambulance personnel; they're by themselves, they don't have radios, (though I'm sure most have cell phones, but if the thugs get the drop on them that's not going to do them much good) and they operate a considerable distance from their vehicles....In a lot of ways they're sitting ducks...

On top of that they deliver checks and other items of value, (and to make matters even worse, in these neighborhoods you're going to have a high percentage of folks on public assistance, so the thugs are going to know on what days the letter carriers are likely to carrying a large number of checks)

This is just one more way the decent people who live in these neighborhoods take another kick in the rear because of the presence of the criminal element....

I have a suggestion that while somewhat less viscerally satisfying than carpet bombing, drone strikes or smart bombs, might be a little more practical....

How about if the individual local post offices co-ordinated with the local police precincts to provide enhanced police presence into those neighborhoods at the time deliveries were scheduled?

This particular brand of criminal is always looking for easy pickings...

If they knew that when they saw a letter carrier that within a minute or two they could count on a patrol car showing up, they'd probably move on to a different target set....

In fact if was done properly, they would begin to associate the presence of the mail man making his rounds with a good time to scram....



Of course, I'm sure Wayne LaPierre would probably see arming every letter carrier with an AK-47 as a better approach....

"Try to stop me from the swift completion of my appointed rounds, will ya? EAT LEAD suckas!"

[dales]

Of course, I'm sure Wayne LaPierre would probably see arming every letter carrier with an AK-47 as a better approach....

Too damned bulky, a sawed off double barrel shot gun would be just the ticket and can fit nicely in a letter carrier pouch.

[Gob]

"Nor Glom of Nit" as Terry Pratchett would have it.

I cannot say I blame them, I wouldn't go into those zones without SAS back up.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Another problem is locked front doors. Many of these are walk up apartments and if no one is home in any of the apartments, the letter carrier can't get in to deliver. Outside boxes are not available as those get broken into.

I used to work in Bedford Styvesant back in the late 1970's when it was worse than the south bronx (delivering beer). I know the Brownsville area also and I wouldn't deliver the mail in many areas of it.

[Guinevere]

On top of that they deliver checks and other items of value, (and to make matters even worse, in these neighborhoods you're going to have a high percentage of folks on public assistance, so the thugs are going to know on what days the letter carriers are likely to carrying a large number of checks)

Since you'll have to know this fact soon Social Security checks are now required to be direct deposit only.

Welfare uses the EBT cards (not sure if they are required, but that's also likely), and many states (including New York) pay unemployment only through direct deposit or some type of "card" system where the payment is made electronically.

The days of live checks in the mail are very limited and dying quickly, if they even still exist.