Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley calls for 'unrest in the streets,' targets Trump's allies

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) called for "unrest in the streets" on Saturday during an appearance on MSNBC's "AM Joy."

"I'm looking to the public. You know, this is as much about public outcry, and organizing, and mobilizing, and applying pressure so that this GOP-led Senate and these governors that continue to carry water for this administration, putting the American people in harm's way, turning a deaf ear to the needs of our families and our communities, hold them accountable. Make the phone calls, send the emails, show up," Pressley said of President Donald Trump's allies.

"There needs to be unrest in the streets for as long as there's unrest in our lives and unfortunately there's plenty to go around." Pressley told "AM Joy" guest host Tiffany Cross.

Cross replied, "I have, I have no retort to that, congresswoman. That's, that's certainly accurate."

This isn't the first time that Pressley has called for "unrest in the streets."

"There will be unrest in the streets for as long as the is unrest in the lives of Black Americans," Pressley told Jim Braude on WGBH News' "Greater Boston" in June.

Pressley also said U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is "corrupt" and demanded that he "must resign."

"He has to be held accountable," Pressley stated. "So in my letter, we call for his resignation, but at a bare minimum, he must be subpoenaed to come before the Oversight Committee and to be taken to account for the way in which he has contributed to attempts to undermine our democracy by dismantling the United States Postal Service."

In the Aug. 8 letter to DeJoy from over 80 House members, including four Republicans, they "express deep concerns" about recent changes at the USPS.

"We are writing to express deep concerns about operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service that could have negative impacts on service standards and cause significant delays in mail delivery," the letter read. "It is vital that the U.S. Postal Service does not reduce mail delivery hours, which could harm rural communities, seniors, small businesses, and millions of Americans who rely on the mail for critical letters and packages."

A demonstration was held outside of DeJoy's Northwest D.C. home on Saturday by hundreds of protesters.

However, the USPS was on rocky ground before DeJoy was appointed as U.S. Postmaster General on June 15, 2020.

In April, then-Postmaster General Megan Brennan, DeJoy's predecessor who was appointed in 2015 when Barack Obama was president, said, "The COVID-19 pandemic will increase the Postal Service's net operating loss by more than $22 billion dollars over the next 18 months and by over $54 billion dollars over the longer term, threatening our ability to operate."

On June 1, there was a Wall Street Journal report that said the USPS is "bogged down," and staffing issues stemming from the coronavirus pandemic "delayed some packages for days and even weeks."

"Coronavirus has also taken a toll on postal workers," the WSJ report said. "About 2,830 of the Postal Service's 630,000 employees have tested positive for Covid-19, a spokeswoman said, 'with some deaths.' Unions representing postal workers said this week that more than 60 workers have died."

The General Accounting Office, a government agency that provides auditing and analysis for Congress, said in 2019, "USPS financial viability continues to be high risk because USPS cannot fund its current level of services and financial obligations from its revenues."

"USPS's overall financial condition is deteriorating and unsustainable," the GAO's 2019 High-Risk update read. "USPS has lost $69 billion over the past 11 fiscal years—including $3.9 billion in fiscal year 2018. USPS's total unfunded liabilities and debt ($143 billion at the end of fiscal year 2018) have grown to double its annual revenue."

Cross ended the interview with Pressley by saying, "I'm looking forward to hearing from you all week as we kick off the Democratic national convention."

However, Pressley was not invited to speak at the 2020 DNC. Other "squad" members, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), also did not get tapped to speak at the convention. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is scheduled to speak on Tuesday.