06/23/2026
To whom it may concern:
I would like to take a moment to respond to the incident Sunday involving the Rella tavern.
First of all, I’m sorry for the delay in responding. I was not in the state on Sunday when this developed, and I needed time to gather details, review cameras, talk to the persons involved, and develop an appropriate, considerate response.
I was able to connect with Mario yesterday afternoon, and we had a productive, 40-minute respectful conversation. I appreciate him very much for that talk.
While we each had viewpoints that didn’t necessarily match up in every detail, we both agreed that we weren’t looking to hurt one another or anyone else.
This was an unfortunate misunderstanding/miscommunication. I deeply regret the way that it was handled by my establishment, it certainly could have been handled more appropriately by contacting the authorities. I would like to emphasize that there was no assault or violence on behalf of my staff, however the bartender should not have left the confines of behind the bar.
Mario has been a customer at Rella for many years and has not have other incidents of racism. This was an isolated incident that was mishandled.
To Mario and Zurdo, please accept our sincerest apologies that you felt harassed or discriminated against.
Rella is an inclusive atmosphere, and we have an extremely diverse clientele. We welcome all.
Personally, I would like to add that I hope we can do better as a community with regards to hate speech and this culture of anger and rage. Miscommunications happen and humans make errors. Life is a struggle for all of us; we have all lived through trauma and would like to heal. I think we all would like to live in an culture of love, acceptance, respect and honest communication. Let’s give each other some grace.
And to our loyal customers, thank you for the continued support. The customers and our staff have made it a pleasure to be a tavern owner for the previous decade. Looking forward to many more moments filled with laughter and love 🩷
