FERGUSON, Mo.—As civil unrest heats up again in this St. Louis suburb, one credit union near the center of much of the protest and violence is again concerned about the future.
Nineteen people were arrested here this weekend and protesters are again facing off with police.
Alliance CU's Jennings, Mo., office touches the border of Ferguson and the city of Jennings, the point where on Aug. 9 police began their pursuit of Michael Brown, which ended in his fatal shooting by officer Darren Wilson. That has sparked more than a month of protests and nighttime violence that has had staff at Alliance CU worried about their community and their office.
The $215-million CU made it through the initial weeks of violence unharmed, despite being surrounded by business that were damaged, looted and even burned down. Frank Evans, human resource director, said the credit union hopes its luck holds out.
“You can’t predict what will happen,” said Evans, who in August had been hopeful the protests would last only a few days. “Things could get rough and out of control again. But so far with this latest round of protests it has not been bad here. We wait and hope for the best.”
Evans is more confident today about the credit union and the local community avoiding trouble. He said most of the protests are centered on the Ferguson Police station located blocks away from the credit union. “And a lot of the unrest has moved completely out of Ferguson to areas around St. Louis where the (Oct. 8) police shooting happened,” added Evans.
Evans believes Alliance’s offices have been spared because of its standing in the community and recognition for the role it plays in helping this low-income neighborhood. Shortly after the violence began in August, the credit union offered a 0% loan for local businesses to help them rebuild or manage their way through the crisis.
Twelve shop owners have taken advantage of Alliance’s special 0%, $5,000 maximum loan for up to 24 months. No payment is required for 45 days.
“It’s been a good program, and one that shows how the credit union plays an important role in this community,” said Evans.