August 7th, 2020 by WCBC Radio
On Thursday, August 6th, 2020 the Cumberland Police Department served a criminal summons on Michael Wayne Harper Jr. for assault and disorderly conduct. The summons was issued by District Court in reference to an incident back on July 6th, 2020 when officers responded to a Greene Street business for an assault in progress. When officers arrived, contact was made with a male victim who claimed an altercation had occurred over a parking spot and that Harper had struck him in the face with his fist. Surveillance video confirmed the victim’s account of the incident. Harper signed and received copies of the charging documents and was released pending trial at District Court.
Michael Wayne Harper Jr, age; 28, LaVale, Maryland.
August 07, 2020 at 10:17 am, Bob said:
Cumberland’s population is about half of its peak and still falling and folks are fighting over parking spaces?!? Ah, life in an Appalachian ghost town.
August 07, 2020 at 1:00 pm, dave said:
“Bob”, at least guns and/knives weren’t involved, as might be the case in the “King” city or any other growing city. Parking spot arguments are common everywhere. Cumberland is not likely to grow as it did in the industrial times. Mountains, with very little level ground, and no intersecting interstates >will always be a hinderence for even distribution centers (Hagerstown’s growth).
August 07, 2020 at 10:37 am, Jay said:
An argument can be made that Capitalism has killed the small towns and cities. Big corporations like Kelly S, Westvaco, PPG, Celanese, have outsourced or downsized in the name of making more money, mostly to raise the salaries of CEOs and ultimately the stockholders. Then throw in Amazon. Then add big box stores like Lowes, Home Depot, etc. who have put the little guy under. Small businesses and plants that employ a significant number were the lifeblood of small towns like Cumberland and the Tri-Towns area for many decades. When they leave there is nothing to take their place. Property values plunge thereby diminishing the tax base. On top of that, build 3 prisons which attract the relatives of the inmates to move here to take advantage of the cheaper housing prices. About 35-40 years ago there were 8 high schools in this county and just before that there were 5 high schools in Mineral County. And we could easily have 2 high schools. Now we have 3 and Min Co has 2. That’s a good barometer of where we are. It’s easy to identify the problems. Much harder to find solutions.
August 07, 2020 at 1:04 pm, dave said:
Jay, all very true. No flat land and no intersection of interstates also complicates.
Negative attitudes don’t help either.>
August 08, 2020 at 5:12 am, DPM said:
> Mostly true except the ‘prison families’ MYTH. Look up the US Census figures since the prisons went in. Also most prisoners come from poor families that get subsidized housing so rent is cheap for them downstate as well. And lastly, most prisoners come from dis-functional/broken families that wouldn’t visit them if they lived across the street in Baltimore, let alone find the money & means to pack up meager possessions and move 200 miles to a god-forsaken Klan infested backwoods WHITE ghetto. If you think Blacks WANT to move here, you don’t know much about Blacks!!!
August 08, 2020 at 8:30 pm, DAVE said:
No don’t want to live here just want to cruise in and sell drugs to the fools that live here!>
August 07, 2020 at 11:05 am, Pat said:
Jay
Can’t agree with you more. It’s a crying shame what this area has evolved into.
August 07, 2020 at 11:08 am, hollywood said:
” Devolved ” Pat, It’s going backwards.