Fight at the Chevy Dealer

[COPO 70 RS/Z28]

Three alcohol-fueled fights erupted at a Michigan auto dealership last week on the day employees were told the business was closing, another sign of a community on edge as it tries to deal with the flailing economy.

The first brawl took place outside Wayland Chevrolet at about 1 p.m. on Friday after several employees visited a bar. Police were alerted to the dispute, but it was broken up before they got there, Wayland Police Chief Dan Miller told FOXNews.com.

"Had they been sober, this probably wouldn’t have happened," Miller said.

Local news station WWMT-TV captured the second altercation at about 2 p.m. The video shows a scuffle, with employee Jason Stanton knocking another worker to the ground outside the dealership.

Later, Stanton explained what set him off.

"Does it matter how hard you work, because there is somebody a little bit above you that has the right to control every decision and every effort you put forward, don't you have a right to be a little bit mad when somebody says hey we're all done?" Stanton asked WWMT-TV. "It's terrible, horrible."

The third fight followed an incident between two salesmen at a pizza restaurant next door.

Wayland Chevrolet blames the shutdown on the downturn in the auto industry and the scheduled closing of General Motors Corp.'s metal stamping factory this year in the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming.

"I think people are just on edge," Miller said. It’s unfortunate, but it just adds insult to injury when they go out and get intoxicated."

[Keith Tedford]

This just reminds me why I don't bother watching the sorry excuse they call "news" any more. If it were something positive, the "news" people would be no where to be found.

[x Baldwin Motion]

This is very sad.

[markjohnson]

Yes, it is sad that we are reverting back to primal instincts of choosing violence in an attempt to protect our income and livelihoods. The most basic of instincts.

[ORIGLS6]

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This just reminds me why I don't bother watching the sorry excuse they call "news" any more. If it were something positive, the "news" people would be no where to be found.

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I'm with you Keith!

[bad1racing]

Just as when our dealership was closing.The news media came to the dealership to ask why we were closing,and the general manager told then that the economy was the main problem.Well the economy is one of the reasons,but , GM wants only 4500 dealers in it's chain and that means closures.Well thats four dealers less in a 15 mile radius of my house.I used to work at 2 of the 4.The first one closed about a year ago.I worked there from 1982-1994.The second just closed at the end of january.I worked there from 11-2002 till the end of Feb. I stayed on to clean out the trash and paperwork for an extra month.They still haven't received the paperwork to return the parts yet.Classic Chev. still hasn't sent there parts back yet and that was around Thanksgiving time.It totally sucks but life goes on.As for the fight at the dealership,tensions are high and I can understand how they feel.

Still unemployed in Michigan.
Kendall