FERGUSON, Mo.—A credit union office here near the area where protests have been taking place over the shooting of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson will be closed today out of concern for the safety of employees and members.
Prosecutors announced last night that a St. Louis County grand jury had recommended Wilson, who is white, not face charges for the fatal shooting of Brown, who is black.
“We sent our (Jennings branch) employees home a little early today, so they wouldn’t be caught up in any transportation snarls,” Alliance Credit Union Human Resource Director Frank Evans told CUToday.info Monday night. “We’re going to (close the Jennings office) tomorrow in the interests of the safety of our employees and members, and we will reassess then.”
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 Brown. That event sparked more than a month of protests and nighttime violence that had staff at Alliance CU worried about their community and their office.
Civil unrest began to heat up here again last month as the community became impatient, waiting for the grand jury’s decision.
Evans stated in October that “You can’t predict what will happen. Things could get rough and out of control again.”
Throughout all the protests, Alliance’s Jennings office has been unharmed, despite being surrounded by business that were damaged, looted and even burned down.
Reports indicated that local businesses this month have been boarding storefronts in the event the grand jury did not return an indictment.
Crowds Monday night gathered around the Ferguson police headquarters in anticipation of the announcement at the courthouse in Clayton, Mo., another St. Louis suburb.
While protesters chanted late Monday for an indictment in the shooting death of Brown, officials called for calm. Overnight, however, demonstrators shattered windows, burned two St. Louis County police cars and set fire to at least a dozen buildings, according to authorities. Intermittent gunfire was reported, as well. One officer was shot but not but seriously hurt. Police made 29 arrests.
CUToday.info will provide updates from Ferguson throughout the day.
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