Four men beat and rob activist

Victim is a co-founder of Self-Help Credit Union

A co-founder of the community development lender Self-Help Credit Union was attacked by a group of four men as he left his office in downtown Durham on Monday night.

Martin Eakes, 54, was left with multiple bruises and a wound on his forehead that required 15 stitches after a beating in the parking garage for the credit union's office at 301 W. Main St. His left bicep muscle was severed and will likely require surgery.

Eakes is recovering at home.

"They beat the stuffing out of me," he said in an interview Friday.

Eakes has been a vocal opponent of predatory lenders in the state, testifies frequently in front of Congress and was The News & Observer's 2005 Tar Heel of the Year.

Eakes said he did not know his attackers and was not aware of any arrests made in the case. Durham police did not respond Friday to a reporter's request for information about the incident.

Eakes and his wife co-founded Self-Help in 1980 with $77 in seed money generated from a bake sale. The organization strives to give economic opportunities and home ownership for minorities, women, rural residents and low-income families often considered high-risk applicants by traditional lenders. Based in Durham, the organization has grown to more than $1 billion in assets and has helped provide financing to more than 50,000 homeowners.

He also helped start the N.C. Coalition for Responsible Lending, an alliance of financial institutions that helped pass the nation's first anti-predatory mortgage lending law in 1999.

Eakes said he left his office just after 8 p.m. Monday and headed to his car in a nearby parking garage.

As he entered the garage, four men approached and began beating him, concentrating their blows to his head, he said.

"These guys were clearly laying in wait for someone," Eakes said.

Eakes said he tried to defend himself as best he could but was no match for the four men, all of whom he described as being larger than him. A plate of glass was broken in the struggle.

It wasn't until after he was bleeding and left largely unresponsive that they demanded his wallet and cell phone, he said.

Eakes said he had no way of knowing if he was a target or just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"It seems like one of those incidents of completely overblown, random violence," he said.