 Map of the riot location | |
| Date | July 28–29, 1975 |
|---|---|
| Location | Livernois Avenue at Chalfonte Avenue, just south of Fenkell Avenue, inDetroit, Michigan |
| Deaths |
|
| Non-fatal injuries | 10 injuries |
TheLivernois–Fenkell riot was aracially motivated riot that occurred in July 1975 onLivernois Avenue at Chalfonte Avenue, just south of Fenkell Avenue, inDetroit, Michigan.
AWhite American bar owner shot aBlack American teenager who was seen tampering with the bar owner's car. The gunman reportedly thought that the teenager'sscrewdriver was a weapon. Following the teenager's death, gathered crowds reacted with random acts ofvandalism,assault,looting and racial fighting. ANazi concentration camp survivor in his mid-50s was beaten to death by a group of black youths. There were no other deaths.
The trouble began on the evening of July 28, when Andrew Chinarian, the 39-year-old white owner of Bolton's Bar, observed three black youths tampering with his car in the parking lot. He fired apistol or rifle, fatally wounding 18-year-old Obie Wynn.[2] According to some accounts, Wynn was fleeing; according to others, he was approaching Chinarian with what the latter thought was a weapon, it later emerged that Wynn was holding a screwdriver. He died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.[3] Crowds gathered and random acts of vandalism, assault,looting and racial fighting along Livernois and Fenkell avenues ensued. Bottles and rocks were thrown at passing cars.[3]
The second man killed was Marian Pyszko, a 54-year-old dishwasher andNazi concentration camp survivor who had emigrated from Poland in 1958.[4] As he drove home from the bakery/candy factory where he worked, he was pulled from his car by a group of black youths and beaten to death with a piece of concrete.[5][page needed] Ronald Bell Jordan, Raymond Peoples, and Dennis Lindsay were all charged with first degree murder, but acquitted.[6] Several years later, Peoples returned to headlines after being arrested for dealing heroin.[7] In 1983, he was sentenced to three years and eight months in federal prison for heroin dealing.[8]
Police were ordered to not use deadly force, so no shots were fired.[5] A crowd of 700 was dispersed by morning. Angry crowds reappeared and violence resumed the following night – a car became abattering ram and a mob ransacked Bolton's Bar.[3]
Detroit mayorColeman Young defused the disturbance by appearing in person (along with several clergymen) and ordering every black policeman in the city to police the riot.[9][incomplete short citation]
The damage to property in the Livernois-Fenkell area amounted to tens of thousands of dollars. Fifty-three people were arrested, and ten injuries were recorded (including one firefighter and one police officer).[3]
CBS News reported an unverified claim that the bar served white patrons only, and noted the 25% unemployment rate as an aggravating factor.[10]
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