Congressman asks residents to look out for postal workers amid Chicago violence

CHICAGO (WLS) -- On Monday morning, there was a call to protect postal workers in Chicago.

There have been robberies and attacks in recent weeks, and, in Milwaukee, a mail carrier was killed.

Now there's an effort to ask homeowners to pay attention and help keep those men and women safe.

It's a call to community members and block clubs to help protect postal workers.

RELATED: 2 USPS postal workers robbed at gunpoint Thursday in West Pullman

Congressman Danny Davis led Monday morning's press conference to discuss Operation Letter Carrier Safe Passage, an initiative to get residents involved in the safety and security of their local postal workers.

Several postal carriers have been robbed or attacked in recent months.

Criminals target the carriers for their master keys, to have access to Social Security checks, medication and other important documents.

RELATED: 3 charged after postal worker killed while delivering mail in Milwaukee

The president of the National Association of Letter Carriers said enough is enough.

"Our letter carriers are traumatized. They not knowing what's going to happen day to day. The customers are our biggest asset. They can help us. We are happy to do our jobs; we just want to work safe. We are asking the residents to come out and ask the letter carrier their name, come out on the porch, tie a ribbon on your door handle, on your gate, so the know it's a safe haven for them if something is going on in the community," said Elise Foster, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 11.

Foster said she is also working with postal police and other leadership to see how security can be ramped up for workers.

Foster also said an ordinance will be introduced to Chicago City Council to move cluster mailboxes off the street and into buildings, to take carriers off of the streets and into the safety of buildings.

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