The postman’s sense of security is gone and he’s worried that his job will be next.
7’s Heather Walker investigates.
Rose, Postman: “Back up, back up, you better back up.”
Rose: “I didn’t feel safe at this point.”
Rose began recording the moment he felt in danger in North Miami.
She asked us not to use her last name for fear of retribution after a normal work day turned violent on March 6.
Rose: “Two women came downstairs. While we are delivering, no one is allowed to come and pick up the mail, packages, or anything outside of the box.”
However, one woman decided to pick up the package.
Rose said she asked for identification or the key to her mailbox, and the woman left.
Rose: “They taunted me and while I was recording she lunged at me and she got upset. She punched me in the face. She punched me in the face. That’s when my instant reflexes were to block her and hit her in the back. I did everything I could to protect myself.”
The police were called. The report said a woman identified as Alexandra Lemolien “was the primary perpetrator.”
She had her battery charged.
Rose: “I had a bruise on my arm. Then I realized my whole body was hurting. I couldn’t sleep that night because I was traumatized.”
Just when Rose thought things couldn’t get any worse, she learned she had been suspended.
A letter from her manager said she was placed on “off-duty, unpaid status” for “deliberately delaying mail” and was told she could not return to work until she had an “investigative interview.” It is scheduled.
Rose: “No further investigation needed. The woman was charging the battery. I feel like everyone feels towards me like I did something wrong. So the bottom line is… , what they’re trying to tell me is I can just stand there, be on the floor, let a woman hit me, and get hit?”
A manager here at the North Miami Post Office declined to comment.
However, a USPS spokesperson said that if mail carriers get into an argument, they should call the police, and Rose did.
Rose: “I was just doing my job. The person who went to attack me is living their life. She’s currently out on bail and I’m resting without a job. It’s unfair.”
She says the Postal Service needs to do more to protect workers.
Rose: “We weren’t taught how to protect ourselves on the streets. We were taught how to protect ourselves from dogs. I wish we would also be more honest with our feelings. No one called me and asked how I was doing. No one wanted to see my bruises or know I was traumatized. They just don’t care. .”
But Rose cares. It’s been more than a month since she received a paycheck, but she plans to keep fighting for her job.
Heather Walker, 7News
Contact 7 investigates:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
[email protected]
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