Calls Sale of Archer Avenue Bar 'Underhanded'
By Tim Hadac
Managing Editor
Southwest Chicago Post
The bar that for years has been known as Halina's Pub is shut down and will stay that way for the indefinite future, 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn told a packed hall of Garfield Ridge residents on Tuesday night.
Managing Editor
Southwest Chicago Post
The bar that for years has been known as Halina's Pub is shut down and will stay that way for the indefinite future, 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn told a packed hall of Garfield Ridge residents on Tuesday night.
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| Quinn speaks on Tuesday night. |
The alderman's announcement was made at the November meeting of the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch/CAPS Beat 811, held at Ward Hall, 52nd and McVicker. More than 200 people attended, at least five times what a normal GRNW/CAPS Beat 811 meeting might attract.
The shutdown comes in the wake of a triple shooting that occurred outside the bar, 7023 W. Archer, just minutes before 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15.
Police said that two men--ages 27 and 31--one of them armed, approached a 28-year-old man (also armed) employed by the bar as a bouncer. An argument ensued between the bouncer and other other two, and there was an exchange of gunfire, police said.
All three men were shot and transported by CFD to the Loyola University Medical Center. The 27-year-old was hit multiple times in the body and was pronounced dead. The 31-year-old was shot in the leg and was listed in fair condition. The 28-year-old employee was shot the torso and was listed in critical condition.
The man slain was identified as Jonathan Joshua Pina, of the 2700 block of West 38th Street.
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| Pina in 2020. |
According to public records, Pina was arrested by CPD in September 2020 near 38th and Rockwell and charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
The shooting occurred on the new bar's grand opening night, which came 11 days after Halina Korniejczuk, the longtime owner/operator of Halina's, retired.
Several days before the shooting, the new owners put a large vinyl banner over the Halina's sign. In Spanish, it welcomed everyone to the new bar.
On Wednesday, Nov. 13, GRNW Secretary and co-founder Michele Doherty saw the sign and called Quinn, alerting him to the presence of a new bar.
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| Crime-scene tape cordons off the bar. |
Quinn said he took quick action to notify the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and request that they investigate. In fact, Quinn said at Tuesday night's meeting, two BACP inspectors were inside the bar when the shooting took place outside.
Quinn said he was not immediately aware of the inspectors' findings, and Mayor Brandon Johnson's office declined to respond to a SWCP request for the results of the inspection.
Businesses with liquor licenses tend to be closely scrutinized in the 13th Ward. In fact, Quinn often notes that there is a standing moratorium on new liquor licenses in his ward--and that existing liquor licenses do not automatically transfer when a business is sold.
The alderman said he was caught unaware of the new bar and that its owners had not alerted him, the GRNW, the Midway Chamber of Commerce or Chicago Lawn (8th) District Commander Bryan Spreyne, who was at Tuesday night's meeting.
Quinn said one action he is taking is to change the bar's zoning to a single-family/residential designation, which would prevent any business activity from taking place. The re-designation is subject to City Council approval, but such maneuvers are routinely OKed.
To bolster his argument, he is asking Garfield Ridge residents to sign a petition asking for the zoning change. The large majority of people in Ward Hall signed on Tuesday night. Those who have not yet signed may do so at either of Quinn's offices in the ward: 6014 S. Central, 773-581-1313, or 6500 S. Pulaski, 773-581-8000.
A Southwest Chicago Post message to the bar's unnamed owners went unanswered Tuesday night; but earlier they posted a denial of wrongdoing on social media.
"The incident occurred with unknown individuals," they
asserted. "The incident did not occur inside the establishment, our customers were not involved, we are not involved with gang violence, and most importantly the owners had nothing to do with the tragedy. It was out of our control. We want to assure everyone that these types of accidents happen everywhere at anytime, especially at bar businesses. Gun violence is out of control throughout the whole city. Unfortunately, we cannot prevent it.
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| The new bar's denial of wrongdoing. |
"We want to make this establishment a welcoming and safe environment for all customers! We send our prayers and condolences. Thank you!"
Also Tuesday night, Quinn characterized the sale of the pub as an "underhanded deal" that was "an attempt to illegally transfer a liquor license around the moratorium."
Korniejczuk was not at Tuesday night's meeting, but a woman who said she had tended bar at Halina's claimed that Korniejczuk paid close attention to ensuring that the sale of the bar was all done legally.
Spreyne said CPD's investigation is ongoing and therefore declined to say whether anyone has yet to be charged in the shootings. He did say that two guns were recovered from the scene.
Video of Tuesday night's meeting is available from the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch at this link: https://fb.watch/vZhEP23kpj/
"Tragic as the shooting was, this situation shows the importance of having our police and elected officials work hand-in-hand with the people who live here," GRNW President Al Cacciottolo said. "As we have so many times over the years, the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch served as the community's eyes and ears to alert the right officials about a potential problem, then we rallied the neighborhood to turn out for the largest CAPS meeting in years. We're going to stay on top of this situation, and we urge everyone to join us and do the same."
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