Mary Znidarsic-Nicosia and her husband Nicholas Nicosia, pictured at their press convention in Rochester, NY, on Tuesday. The 2 deny allegations of racism and now blame “cancel tradition” for the backlash they’ve confronted after throwing an allegedly bigoted celebration.
Screenshot by NPR/T Davis
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Mary Znidarsic-Nicosia and her husband Nicholas Nicosia, pictured at their press convention in Rochester, NY, on Tuesday. The 2 deny allegations of racism and now blame “cancel tradition” for the backlash they’ve confronted after throwing an allegedly bigoted celebration.
Mary Znidarsic-Nicosia and her husband, Nicholas Nicosia, wished to clear their names after being accused of throwing a racist celebration. So, they made a plan and held a press convention this week.
The first step: The rich, white couple from Rochester, N.Y., adamantly defended themselves towards what Znidarsic-Nicosia referred to as “false claims of racism.”
Step two: Znidarsic-Nicosia confessed to a room filled with reporters that she additionally occurs to run a racist, nameless Twitter account.
“In full disclosure, I do have a Twitter parody account that operates beneath a veil of a persona — and I’ve made blatantly racist feedback beneath that persona,” she admitted.
“The tradition of Twitter operates that manner. It offers you a chance to be somebody you are not,” she defined.
The couple got here beneath hearth after being named in a discover to sue filed by Jerrod Jones, a Rochester firefighter, towards the town and the hearth division. Jones, who’s Black, mentioned his former captain, Jeffrey Krywy, ordered him and different firefighters to attend the celebration thrown by the Nicosias on July 7, whereas they had been all on responsibility.
Jones is looking for $3 million for emotional misery and at the least $1 million in compensatory damages. In the meantime, Krywy took an early retirement earlier than the town may start termination procedures.
Authorized submitting particulars alleged racist tropes on show on the July celebration
When the group arrived on the celebration, the submitting states, “Jones felt instantly uneasy, and his uneasiness intensified as he walked up the driveway and observed a big reduce out of former President Donald Trump. Turning the nook on the finish of the driveway and viewing the yard he turned utterly shocked.”
The massive yard was embellished with Juneteenth flags and cups that had been positioned close to buckets of KFC and bottles of Hennessy cognac, in accordance with the doc.
The Nicosias’ lawyer, Corey Hogan, informed NPR that theme of the celebration was anti-liberal – the invitation referred to as it the “1st annual Liberal Smashin Splish Splash Pool Occasion.”” – however that it was being misconstrued by Jones as racist.
Lawyer argues there isn’t any proof that his shoppers are racist
Hogan has repeatedly challenged reporters — together with this reporter — to search out any proof supporting the claims that both of his shoppers are bigots, arguing that Znidarsic-Nicosia’s Twitter account doesn’t rely.
Whereas the actual property agent didn’t disclose her nameless Twitter deal with, the now-defunct @HoHoHomeboyROC account used the picture of a bust of a Black mammy that she admitted she owns. Screengrabs of earlier posts embody different anti-Black imagery, reposts of different accounts trolling Black individuals – typically in an offensive interpretation of Black vernacular – and several other pretend advertisements for KFC.
Hogan additionally indicated that Znidarsic-Nicosia runs further Twitter accounts. “I feel she has quite a lot of totally different handles,” he mentioned.
In the course of the press convention, the pair broke down into tears. Znidarsic-Nicosia cried, saying, “The allegations of this narrative have prompted my household nearly insufferable ache.” Her husband, a dentist, wept as he mentioned, “Cancel tradition could be merciless.”
He then added that he has misplaced sufferers at his dental follow due to Jones’ allegations. “The one factor I hate greater than racism, is allegations of racism,” he mentioned.
On Friday, their lawyer steered that neither holds a single racist perception. He remarked a number of occasions that Rochester Mayor Malik Evans attended a operate on the Nicosia residence a couple of yr and a half in the past, and that the couple additionally has a Black Jamaican lady dwelling in a visitor home on the property.
“She was not invited to the celebration,” he later clarified, including that of the dozen or so visitors in attendance, Jones was the one African American.
Hogan additionally mentioned that Znidarsic-Nicosia’s apology on the press convention was honest and heartfelt. Moreover, he mentioned, “some members of the Black neighborhood, have reached out to see whether or not we will now use this as an excuse to do some therapeutic.”
Jones’ lawyer informed NPR that his consumer “is in talks with the town and the hearth division,” and that it’s too quickly to determine whether or not to maneuver ahead with a lawsuit.
Meantime, Znidarsic-Nicosia has since been eliminated as a member of the Landmark Society of Western New York, and Nicosia introduced his resignation from the Highland Hospital board of administrators.
