*A New Jersey zoning board member has resigned after sharing his grievances with a local bar over its mostly black customers.
In a phone call recorded by the Gavelstone Bar & Grill in Kenilworth, Anthony Cuppari is reportedly heard arguing with the business’ owner about how the town of Kenilworth does not have many Black residents and the locals were uncomfortable having the Gavelstone and its customers around, New York Daily News reports.
The comments caught the attention of local New Jersey Assemblyman Jamel Holley, who confirmed Cuppari, a Kenilworth Planning Board volunteer, had resigned after video of the call went viral on social media.
According to multiple reports, Cuppari initially called the bar to fire off a list of complaints from Kenilworth residents that reportedly ranged from trash and parking issues, noise violations and the Gavelstone has repeatedly been cited for people urinating and having sex on neighbor’s lawns.
The bar strongly denied these charges on their Facebook page.
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Cuppari was recorded telling Gavelstone Bar & Grill owner Jessica Quintana by phone that her business’ predominantly black clientele were an eyesore for the 88% white majority.
“Culturally, Kenilworth people are, like, good, hard-working, kind of normal, live-a-day people,” Cuppari told Quintana.
When Quintana asked if Cuppari was implying her customers aren’t “good, hard-working” or “normal,” he said “Unfortunately, what we’re seeing, that’s not what we’re seeing.”
He added “First of all, they’re in town to get drunk, to have a good time, and so forth, so we’re not seeing the good side of these people to begin with, okay?”
“A lot of times, culturally it is different,” Cuppari said, a reference to Gavelstone’s Hennessy night “Like, we don’t drink Hennessy here.”
The call was reportedly recorded after Gavelstone’s liquor license was suspended last week. Members of the bar’s staff suspect race was a factor in that suspension.
“They don’t want a bunch of black people walking around,” a bar manager told NJ.com.
An attorney for the borough noted to NJ.com that race is not a factor.
“This tavern has a three-inch pile of reports of urination on lawns, beer bottles thrown on lawns, I kid you not, sex on people’s lawns,” he said.
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