Octavia Redmond murder: Chicago postal workers demand action as suspect charged in mail carrier's death
CHICAGO - Postal workers are reacting to news of an arrest in the murder of 48-year-old Octavia Redmond, a letter carrier who was delivering mail in West Pullman when she was shot to death on July 19.
Charges against a 15-year-old boy were filed as the postal workers staged a "Day of Action" to raise awareness about the dangers of delivering mail and demand new protections.
About 20 Postal Service employees and union officials gathered in front of the Roseland Post Office, where Redmond worked, demanding more protection while doing their jobs.
"Well right now the letter carriers are scared," said Elise Foster. "We know that we have to continue delivery every day. That's the motto. Rain, sleet, or snow we go. We don't do bullets. We can't do them."
Unions representing the postal workers say since 2020, there have been over 2,000 attacks on postal employees nationwide, and over 150 since 2022 in the Chicago district alone.
They say the danger is not just on the streets.
"When we talk about safety, we're not just talking about violence against letter carriers," said Keith Richardson of the American Postal Workers Union. "We're talking about in stations where they don't have plexiglass. Where our clerks are fearful of people coming in to rob them."
By coincidence, the National Day of Action by the postal union came on the same day prosecutors charged the 15-year-old boy in Redmond's murder. It's welcome news for these letter carriers.
"It's a step in the right direction that they charged someone," said Foster. "But like I said, we need more prosecutions. We need the American people to know that if you mess with a letter carrier, there's gonna be consequences, okay? We need that to be shown, but it will never bring our sister back."
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The postal workers say their security on the job has never been more important than right now, with the upcoming election in which a record number of mail-in ballots are expected to be cast.
"We got you. We will deliver your ballots. That's what we do," said Amy Puhalski of the American Postal Workers Union.
The postal workers are supporting a pair of bills in Washington to boost security for postal workers. But they say there are resources in place now that could be better used.
"It used to be that the Postal Police had jurisdiction and would be on the streets patrolling the neighborhoods, protecting letter carriers, ensuring the safety of all postal employees," said Luis Rivas of the Illinois State Association of Letter Carriers. "They now basically sit in parking lots and protect facilities instead of being on the street."