A Rochester, New York, couple accused of hosting a racist party mocking Juneteenth rejected those allegations during a press conference after a Black firefighter filed a lawsuit against them.
Firefighter Jerrod James, who was asked by the fire chief to attend the party while he was on duty, alleges in his legal filing that dentist Nicholas Nicosia and real estate agent Mary Znidarsic-Nicosia hosted a racist pool party earlier this summer.
The couple claimed on Tuesday that the party was indented to make fun of liberal politicians but that it wasn’t racist. While the Nicosias said their party on 7 July had been misinterpreted, Ms Znidarsic-Nicosia admitted to being behind a racist Twitter account, according to the Associated Press.
Juneteenth began in the 19th century as a celebration of the end of slavery in the US and became a federal holiday in 2021.
Mr Jones alleges that the party included a display mocking the holiday celebrated each year on 19 June, saying that Juneteenth flags were hanging over buckets holding fried chicken.
The firefighter who’s been with the department for 14 years said his fire captain took him and two others to attend the party while on the job.
Filing a notice of claim against the city and the fire department, Mr Jones is seeking as much as $3m for emotional distress and compensatory damages of at least $1m, the AP reported.
Captain Jeffrey Krywy was suspended and subsequently retired.
The host couple held a press conference alongside their lawyer Corey Hogan on Tuesday, claiming that the party was intended to be critical of liberals, not to mock the holiday.
Mr Hogan showed a party invitation saying “liberal smashing splish splash pool party”. Ms Znidarsic-Nicosia said the fried chicken was just a convenient food to serve and not meant to be a racist trope.
“I’m aware of the perception of KFC. Was that the reason it was in my home?” she said, according to Rochester City Newspaper. “No. It was an easy meal.”
Ms Znidarsic-Nicosia rejected the idea that she was racist but admitted to running an anonymous Twitter account that posted racist content.
“I have made blatantly racist comments under that persona,” she said. “The culture of Twitter operates that way. It gives you an opportunity to be someone you’re not.”
“And for these comments, I’d like to apologise to the African American community and other people in the community that I have hurt or offended by doing what I was doing on Twitter,” she added.
Dr Nicosia claimed that his dental practice has lost patients because of the allegations against the couple.
“We were tried and convicted on social media in a false narrative that was created,” he said.
Nate McMurray, a lawyer for Mr Jones, argued that the couple had confirmed the substance underlining Mr Jones’ claims.
“We will use that press conference as evidence going forward,” he said, according to the AP.
“The past 12 difficult days that I’ve been through, I’ve learned a lot. And I’ve learned that making a comment under a persona on Twitter is just as wrong and hurts just as much as saying it directly to someone in the room. And I think it’s a lesson learned certainly for me, and I think others can learn from the lesson,” Ms Znidarsic-Nicosia said.
“I’m not a racist person,” she added. “I grew up in East Cleveland. Very diverse community. And I would challenge you that you would find anyone in the community that would tell you that I am. Nonetheless, I hold myself accountable. I’m ashamed. This wasn’t an easy thing to do, to get up here and tell you this. And I ask that you accept my apology, as it is sincere.”
“You will see that this event was a political event,” Mr Hogan said. “There is absolutely no racism anywhere.”
“There was no hint of racism,” he added, according to the local paper. “Kentucky Fried Chicken? There are 27,000 franchises of Kentucky Fried Chicken around the world. Four thousand in this country. Is everybody that pulls into a Kentucky Fried Chicken, like the Nicosias do probably every couple of weeks, are they a racist?”
The cognac served at the party also caused controversy.
“Millions, I think about 70 million bottles sold every year. It has a racial undertone to it. The Nicosias knew nothing about it. It was given away, a small bottle, as a prize. No racism,” Mr Hogan said.
“If I thought it was making fun of something, I mean, I’m not racist, I would’ve said something. You know, I just thought it was a bunch of Mary’s idiot friends,” Dr Nicosia said.
Calling social media a “cesspool,” he said his wife’s Twitter presence wasn’t representative of who she is.
“What I see, I think it gives people opportunities to be someone they’re not,” he said, according to Rochester City Newspaper. “You know, that’s why everyone seems to have aliases and it doesn’t necessarily reflect the person.”
The prominent status of the couple was boosted by their fundraising for charities and hosting of events for political candidates. They hosted an event for Democratic Mayor Malik Evans last year and were set to host an event for Republican congressional candidate and former Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary, who has since cut ties.
Dr Nicosia served as the vice chair of the board of directors at Highland Hospital and as the team dentist for the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League.
Ms Znidarsic-Nicosia was previously the vice president of development for the Landmark Society of Western New York.
But all those groups have ended their relationships with the couple following the allegations.
Mr Hogan said it was due to “cancel culture” and “political correctness”.
“They just all dumped them because of how powerful this cancel culture is,” Mr Hogan claimed. “Now they have to decide, do they live in Rochester anymore or do they move? Can they redeem their character? That’s maybe what the judicial system can do. We shall see.”
