Perform a mailbox safari–note where your blue public mailboxes are, and periodically check on them.

 

So. You know all about Trump’s attempt to fuck with the United States Postal Service. You’re calling your Congressional representatives and telling friends and family to do so. You’re attending protests, if you’re able. Good. Thank you.

 

During all of this, you might have seen images of boneyards full of blue public mailboxes, and you might have seen images of blue public mailboxes still in place, but with locks blocking their mail slots.

 

If you’re taking walks outside (please wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines), consider adjusting your route to accommodate an errand.

 

Are there blue public mailboxes near you?
If there are, could you swing by each box and photograph them with your phone?

 

You don’t have to do this every time. You do want to collect a time-stamped photo on a regular basis.

 

If you discover that a blue public mailbox is missing or locked, forward your photographs to your local newspaper.

 

Target the beat reporter for your town or city, and cc the managing editor of the newsroom. Their email addresses, Twitter handles, or both should be on the publication’s masthead, which should appear somewhere on the paper’s website.

 

Your findings could provide the basis for a news story that provides a local angle on the United States Postal Service scandal.

 

Keep checking on the mailboxes until November 3, 2020, at minimum. With any luck, you won’t need to do your rounds after that point.

 

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