14907 Livernois Avenue
Jiggs Tavern, Bob Bolton’s Bar, Bellman Real Estate, People Wake Up Music
Most Michiganders are aware of the rebellion that occurred in the Motor City in the summer of 1967. Others may know about those that took place in the 1860s and 1940s, the events in the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr being murdered, or the chaos that ensued after the Pistons won the NBA Championship in 1990. However, fewer are aware of the most recent large-scale racial disturbance emanating from a singular inciting incident at the bar pictured here at 14907 Livernois.
Before we talk about what happened, here’s some background information on the building. The structure was built around 1930 near the intersection of Livernois and Chalfonte Avenues. In 1934, the bar was called Jiggs Tavern. An ad in the Detroit Free Press read, “Try our cocktails, excellent food.”
In 1952, a man named Frederick C. Kubbe was drinking at the bar when he walked outside and threw himself in front of a car. Witnesses said he was telling patrons that he was ‘no good to anybody” and threatening to kill himself. Kubbe, who had been unemployed for six months, was struck by James Anderson, who was later exonerated for the incident.
At some point before 1974, Bob Bolton ran a bar out of the first floor that shared his name. It was known for good burgers, a St. Patrick’s Day celebration clad with corned beef, cabbage, and green beer, and as a hangout spot for University of Detroit students. By 1974, Bob had passed away, and the new management continued everything the bar patrons had come to know and enjoy. An article in the Detroit Free Press refers to it as Bill Bolton’s Bar, which I believe is a typo or the name was later changed to Bob.
On July 28, 1975, Andrew Chinarian, a 39-year-old white man, was working at the bar he then owned. He was known as a stern man who wasn’t afraid to take matters into his own hands, but he reportedly played basketball with kids in the alley behind the bar on occasion.
Chinarian walked outside and saw a group of kids near a customer’s white Chrysler Newport. There had been problems with car theft in the area, so Chinarian asked what the boys were doing and reportedly called for those inside the bar to assist him. One of the boys, Obie Anthony Wynn, an 18-year-old, ran behind the car. Chinarian fired a shot, striking the young man in the back of the head. The bar owner claimed that he had seen something shiny in the youth’s hand and assumed it was a gun. Wynn was taken to the hospital and died from the bullet wound. He lived with his girlfriend and two-year-old daughter.
News of the incident traveled quickly, and within hours a large crowd had formed outside the bar. The group soon became violent, and Detroit Police were called to the scene. Chinarian had to be escorted out of the bar by officers as the protestors surrounded the building. He was taken downtown and released the same day without being charged with any crimes.
The group on Livernois, now swelling in size, began throwing rocks, harassing officers, looting, and a few structures were set on fire. Various black community and political leaders, including then-Mayor Coleman A. Young, were on the scene trying to calm the protestors. Eventually, police were ordered to use tear gas to disperse the crowd.
During the night, a white man named Marian Pyszko was dragged from his car at Fenkell and Quincy on his way home from work. He was beaten, kicked, and hit with chunks of concrete. Among his injuries, the left side of his skull caved in, and he died three days later. Pyszko came to the United States in 1951 from Poland. He served in World War II and was incarcerated in a Nazi prison camp. He had a wife and two sons. This was the only other casualty during the disturbance.
The following day, Chinarian reported to the police station with his attorney to answer more questions about what had happened. At that time, he was arrested for second-degree murder. Many believe that officials were put under pressure due to the protestors at Livernois and Chalfonte; however, the bond was set at a mere $500. Many of the protestors referenced that was a bond for a loiterer, not a murderer.
When word about what had happened downtown got around, the group returned to the area around Bolton’s. “You let a brother kill a white man, and see how quick he gets out of jail — if he ever gets there in the first place,” emanated from megaphones. Once again, community leaders and the Mayor were on the scene to try and quell the disturbance. Eventually, police picked up Chinarian again for his protection.
Police fired no shots during the entire saga, and Bob Bolton’s Bar survived.
Services for Wynn were held at James H. Cole Funeral Home, and over 200 people attended.
In the courtroom, Chinarian’s defense was that he was trying to make a citizen’s arrest and fired a warning shot—he never meant to kill Wynn. Reports said that he only had vision in one eye, which could have resulted in poor aim.
On January 31, 1976, Chinarian was found guilty of reckless use of a firearm resulting in death. In addition to $5K in court costs and $300 in probation fees, Chinarian would serve six months in the Detroit House of Corrections and spend three years under supervision on probation. The charge was a high misdemeanor. Many leftist organizations in Detroit cried foul.
Meanwhile, a series of trials were underway against ‘The Livernois 5.’ Initially, charges were brought against six black men for the murder of Marian Pyszko. Dennis Lindsay, the sixth member of the group, quickly had his charges dropped. His attorney was Kenneth Cockrel, who would be integral to disbanding the Detroit Police Department’s STRESS unit and later sit on Detroit’s Common Council.
Most accounts recall that there wasn’t enough evidence to convincingly prove that the five men were the ones that murdered Marian Pyszko. Raymond Peoples, one of five, was known to the police as one of the founding members of Young Boys Incorporated.
Two trials resulted in a hung jury, and all the men were acquitted in the third.
On February 26, 1976, the Ann Arbor Sun reported that “there is no way to condone the beating death of Marion Pyszko, the white man who perished in the violence following the Chinarian shooting. But even if those currently being prosecuted for the slaying are in fact the culprits, it’s difficult to demand stern justice for them when Andrew Chinarian’s outrageous actions are dealt with so lightly.”
In the time between the murder and his sentencing, Chinarian was released after paying a heftier bond and could reopen his bar and live a reasonably normal life. However, those accused of murdering Pyszko were held without bond.
Chinarian eventually moved to a suburb of Detroit.
I’m not certain what happened to the building directly after the disturbance, but by 1988 Ernest Bellman owned the property. He ran Bellman & Associates Real Estate from the structure, and there were also signs for ‘Bellman’s Detective Agency’ and home inspections.
Around 2016, the signs on the structure changed, and it became a music shop. The signs were random and sporadic—but I believe it was called ‘People Wake Up Music.’ The shop converted old LPs and tapes to CDs, sold old music media, and offered fax and notary services. One of the signs read, “your music therapy for Alzheimer’s.”
By 2018, it was vacant. Today, the structure is owned by Bar Holding USA, LLC.
Although Bob Bolton’s Bar is long gone, the memory of its impact remains today. While taking these photographs, I spoke to a man working at the corner tire shop. He asked what I was taking photos of, and I told him I was interested in an old bar a few buildings down. He replied, “You mean Bolton’s?” There was a silence, and he looked down for a moment before his eyes returned to mine, “yeah, we all know about Bolton’s.”
Although events like this may seem like they occurred a century ago, this history is authentic and pertinent today. Obie Anthony Wynn’s daughter, who grew up without her father, would be 50 years old this year. I’m not sure, but I presume Andrew Chinarian is dead. He would be roughly 87 years old in 2023.
The new owners are currently working on 14907 Livernois.
