Traditionally, petition signatures have been gathered at the US Post Office.
Now, it seems the Rapid City postmaster (or postmistress), Lorrie Papka, has gone “Postal”.
No more petitioners will be allowed on “private postal property”, according to officials at the Rapid City post office. Their justification is a regulation quoted by the postmaster, which heretofore has gone unenforced. My call to the postmaster has gone unanswered.
A spokesman for the Rapid City post office told me they have issued (or soon will issue) a press release to notify petitioners and the general public that they will now be “enforcing” this regulation. Not even the news media will be allowed on the property. EVERYONE will be required to use only the public sidewalks around the perimeter of the “postal property”.
Wait just a cotton-picking minute!! Who does the “private postal property” really belong to? Isn’t it public property?
At the time this article is being published, petitioners have returned to the Rapid City post office. They feel they are supported by the postal definition of what constitutes a public sidewalk, which they believe includes the place from which they were earlier expelled. The petitioners were told by the Rapid City police department that they would not be arrested if they returned. The postmaster is apparently not convinced. We have been told by sources inside the post office that the police have been called.
What happens next remains to be seen, but at present this is a very fluid situation.
How can the Rapid City postmaster, or the US post office keep people from exercising their rights to free speech, their rights to petition the government for redress of grievances and rights of assembly?
Because they said so.
**BREAKING NEWS** Police arrive on site, question petitioners and tell them to leave the area.
***Gordon Howie is an author and CEO of Life and Liberty Media***
“It’s not about right or left, it’s about Right or Wrong.”
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I have been informed that the post master Lorrie Papka has a connection (a dog in this fight) with an organization that is on the side of the school board and in favor of increasing our taxes and giving it to the schools.
If this is the case it becomes obvious as to why previous to this particular petition all were welcome to seek signatures in front of the post office. It was only when this particular petition issue came along did she decide to act to stop petitioning outside the post office.
In my opinion these are the types of people that need a push back. Those petitioning should contact her boss, whomever it might be and have her back off. After it is the U.S. Post Office belonging to we the people
Oh South Dakota…this is embarrassing. Could someone find out where this dumb blond went to school?