RICHMOND, Va. — Some Church Hill neighbors remain worried after dozens of pieces of mail were found in a trash can behind a church in their Richmond neighborhood.
A family living across the street from Good Shepherd Baptist Church, where the mail was found, expressed their shock, especially because they have faced problems with their own mail delivery since they've lived in the neighborhood.
“We love Church Hill and we love this neighborhood, but we’ve definitely had issues with receiving our mail," Parker Bray said.
According to the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the employee involved in the investigation is not currently working for the Postal Service.
As of Wednesday morning, staff at the church said they were still waiting for mail from the USPS.
This situation caught the attention of community advocates. JJ Minor, president of the local NAACP, said he plans to meet with his legal team to address the issue.
"I’m going to go back and get with my legal redress team and see how we can talk to, and get something in place, and talk to our Congressional folks so that they can look into it," Minor said.
The dumped mail included items like cards, bills, and important tax documents.
After hearing about the incident, several viewers told CBS 6 they were worried that their own tax documents might be lost.
"The deadline for employers to send out W-2s and other tax-related documents is January 31. If you are expecting these documents and haven’t received them after this date, you should contact your employer or financial institution," said Rodney Bearman, a spokesperson with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Bearman also encouraged people to file their taxes online and choose direct deposit to avoid mail problems.
"Paper refund checks are 16 times more likely to be lost, stolen, or misdirected," he said.
Bray noted that while her family uses online bill pay to avoid major problems, they still feel upset about the situation.
"It would make me feel better if they were just behind because they don't have enough staff. But then to find out that it’s just being dumped in the garbage can, it’s just kind of terrible," Bray said.
As the community looks for answers, they hope postal officials and lawmakers will take action soon.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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