BALTIMORE — Three branches of the Municipal Employees Credit Union of Baltimore (MECU) closed Tuesday in the wake of rioting following the funeral of young black man who died mysteriously while in police custody.
A tape-recorded message issued by MECU (the largest credit union in Baltimore with more than $1.2 billion in assets) stated that three branches would be closed due to "security concerns in the downtown Baltimore area."
Those three branches are: 401 E Fayette Street, 7 East Redwood Street and 312 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., all in downtown Baltimore.
Jennifer Simmons, chief membership officer of the Maryland|District of Columbia Credit Union Association told Credit Union Journal that State Employees CU of Maryland ($2.8 billion, Linthicum, Md.) has reduced the hours at its University of Maryland-Baltimore branch and closed the branch located in the Baltimore State Center because the state government closed for the day Tuesday.
The $367 million Johns Hopkins FCU will be closing at noon, while $366 million SecurityPlus FCU said it would be closing four branches — including its main office — at noon, as well, Simmons added.
"All of the credit unions are monitoring the situation closely and maintaining close communication with city officials and their branch managers," Simmons said. "They are prepared to respond quickly if the situation changes. Employee and member safety is top priority."
Meanwhile, the city of Baltimore is reeling from the worst riots it has witnessed since 1968 as Gov. Larry Hogan, declared a state of emergency Monday evening. Hogan has also deployed thousands of troops and police officers across the city to maintain order following incidents of looting, arson, robbery and assaults on police.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake imposed a mandatory curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., starting Tuesday and is expected to last one week. Many schools and businesses were closed on Tuesday.
