Sarah Snell Cooke I don't live far from Baltimore. I watched the devastation from the comfort of my king-sized bed, in my master suite of my warm home in the exurbs.

I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn't believe that anyone would tear up their home in that way. I couldn't believe that many of the ones causing trouble were kids not much older than my son, whose biggest worries are getting his science project completed and how much time that leaves for Minecraft.

I overheard a teammate of his at baseball excitedly tell the team that he was at the Orioles game on Sunday, and they weren't allowed to leave. For him it was a pseudo-adventure in an otherwise protected life.

But for the 13 year olds and their families outside the makeshift fortress that was Camden Yards, Freddie Gray's death was the catalyst to release the pent up frustration that comes with the lack of opportunity, respect, jobs, and awareness or empathy for the underlying issues.

Violence and rioting is wrong. It is the wrong response when your soccer team loses (or wins), and it's the wrong reaction when someone in police custody, no matter their arrest record, dies suspiciously. But I'd like to point out, that in the middle of all of the chaos a video of a woman beating her son to prevent him from wreaking any more havoc went viral. Facebook lit up with glib accolades for this woman — this woman who was hitting her son. Violence begets violence. When someone is shown nothing but disrespect, how are they expected to respond in a stressful situation?

The comment from my son's friend, simultaneously innocent and obtuse, is why I wanted to raise my kids in that quirky zone halfway between suburb and horse country. Innocence is not something to be squandered, and respect should run from parent to child and vice versa.

But when someone is shown no respect, when someone grows up witnessing violence and they're worried whether their parent will come home drunk again because they have no job, the culture must change. It must change not only for the children and families trapped in this situation, but awareness of these issues must be cultivated within the families that have more options.

Credit unions have role to play in helping to lift communities out of the downward spiral of Baltimore's poverty vortex. Credit unions must advocate for their communities, and work with other like-minded organizations.

MECU of Baltimore, for example, works regularly with the food pantries, supports programs that support inner-city teachers, and hosts financial seminars on various topics. Yet MECU was forced to shutter its doors in some locations for safety reasons during the height of the Baltimore riots. That's not good for anyone involved.

SecurityPlus FCU in Baltimore commemorated Martin Luther King, Jr., Day with a donation to his namesake school. It had to close its headquarters branch. SECU, which also operates in Baltimore but serves the entire state, cut hours short, too. SECU is also working with crisis centers and food pantries throughout Maryland on an ongoing basis.

Credit unions have a civic and fiscal responsibility to advocate for the community surrounding their credit union, even if it is not within the technical field of membership. If the area is so hostile, the credit union cannot conduct its business or reasonably ensure its members' safe passage, then it is the credit union's problem.

It will be a painfully slow and arduous task, and it will require coordinating with law enforcement, chambers of commerce, community groups and the like. It will take resources from serving your members today so that the credit union can serve them in the future.

Members may be grateful when they are able to obtain a loan they couldn't get from the bank down the street, but assisting in cleaning up the community where they live by trying to get at the root of the problems — improving the local economy, expanding opportunities, and providing a hand up for the next generation — demonstrates true investment and deep respect.

Awareness. Advocacy. Assistance. It's strategic. It's cooperative. It's people helping people. And it's the right thing to do for credit unions and communities everywhere.

Instant Insights /

Baltimore Riots, Credit Unions and a Better Future

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