AFTER THE PUBLICATION OF THE ABOVE ARTICLE IN THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ITALIAN AMERICAN ARTS ASSOCIATION, ANTHONY NAPOLI'S LAWYER, ATTORNEY O'NEAL, WROTE A LETTER OF COMPLAINT TO UCSD'S VICE CHANCELLOR THE CONTENTS OF WHICH ARE COVERED IN MY RESPONSE TO HIM BELOW:
Dear Mr. O’Neal
Today I received the letter of complaint, dated June 5, 2003, which you wrote on behalf of your client Anthony Napoli and sent to the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, UCSD. Perhaps as an oversight your office failed to send a copy to me? The letter was routed to me via the UCSD Office of the Campus Counsel. Because the letter is rife with baseless accusations and general misinformation about the article I wrote on the billboard your client sponsored and displayed in Little Italy, and about that community’s general reception of the billboard, I feel it requires a response.
But before I discuss the specifics of your allegations I would like to remark on your use of the word “jihad” to describe my criticism of Mr. Napoli’s choice of advertisement. Given the times in which we live, such shallow and unwarranted association with terrorism of anyone who stands up to protect his or her community’s right against defamatory representation is really quite a cheap shot, especially for a legal professional presumably schooled in the importance of language.
But let me go on to more relevant matters. The charges you make in the second paragraph of your letter are baseless, inaccurate and themselves defamatory, not to mention that they are simply untrue. First of all, you state in your letter that I “personally handed out the flyers and voiced [my] complaints to the residents of Little Italy.” The fact is that I did not hand out anything and did not speak to any residents or merchants concerning this issue. Secondly, you state that lately I have "attempted to escalate [the] malicious, defamatory and unwarranted attacks, by threatening persons doing business with Mr. Napoli". Aside from the fact that I do not know any of the persons who might be doing business with Mr. Napoli, I would challenge you to bring forth evidence that I spoke to any of them, let alone threatened anyone. Please, check your sources before making such spurious allegations. And, on the matter of "widening [the] vendetta to include other billboard participants through local television and newspaper media", again where have you gathered this information and from whom? I did email the San Diego Magazine, addressing its own participation in the demeaning representation contained on the billboard in their “Best of San Diego” issue. Otherwise, I have contacted no media, either television or newspaper, regarding either Mr. Napoli or any of the other "billboard participants" as part of what you refer to as a "vendetta" (is the use of this word inadvertent stereotyping on your part, Mr. O'Neal?).
Indeed, this would appear to be a pure case of "the emperor’s new clothes". While you charge me with making “defamatory and unwarranted attacks” on Anthony Napoli my article only points out that he himself identified his person, the others in the photograph, his business and, by extension, all other Italian Americans, in a defamatory way, i.e. as Mafiosi. What you take to be a personal attack on Anthony Napoli is merely what an academic observer in my position does. I am a commentator of such cultural manifestations. If you are interested, I could refer you to a number of articles and books that I have written on the subject and which have been widely read and quoted (even though I may be, as you imply, merely an Associate Professor). Some of the professional Italian American Associations of which I am member have Media Watch groups that address precisely the connotations and insinuations arising from images and constructs similar to Mr. Napoli’s billboard. I myself initiated the Association of Italian Canadian Writers’ Media Watch in 1996. The American Italian Historical Association, NIAF, UNICO, The Sons of Italy and many other such organizations also keep an eye on the media in order to point out such unfortunate and cynical uses of it. I am certain that they would resent their campaigns being branded as "jihad".
As to the issue of how my article might jeopardize Anthony Napoli’s business dealings, are you really suggesting that one should be blamed for asking that people think about where and with whom they invest their money? Remember, if people are worried as a result of the ad that they may be investing with a Mafioso it was Napoli's own ad that branded him as one. If the people in the billboard photograph have been offended or disadvantaged in any way, it has likely occurred as a result of your client’s implication that they too are Mafiosi, that they too are “connected”. Those individuals were in no way harmed by my article. As a matter of fact, just today Frank Busalacchi (brother of three of the individuals in the billboard photograph) welcomed me at Caffè Zucchero and assured me that I was always welcome at his establishment, even after my article.
All I have done, Mr. O’Neal, is write an article, an article pointing out that through the advertisement placed on the billboard, your client applies a negative stereotype to himself and, by association, to all Italian Americans. Mr. O’Neal, your letter is one string of continuous lies and fabrications, and I resent being implicated in your smear campaign in order to whitewash your client’s hypocrisy and arrogance.
Finally, I take extreme offense at your disparaging letter addressed to the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor at UCSD. The "legally unprotected conduct" of which you accuse me is all a fabrication. Again, there is nothing in my article that could be considered defamatory or that could be construed as “interfering in the contractual relations of Mr. Napoli”. Indeed, what you are doing with your defamatory and inflammatory letter is attempting to obstruct my intellectual freedom and right of expression. When did these become "unlawful conduct"?
Be aware, Mr. O’Neal, given the carelessness with which you have made your accusations, that I myself will hold you and your client fully responsible for any damages I may suffer as a result of the baseless and malicious fabrications contained in your letter.
Sincerely,
Prof. Pasquale Verdicchio,
Associate Professor, UCSD
Dear Mr. O’Neal
Today I received the letter of complaint, dated June 5, 2003, which you wrote on behalf of your client Anthony Napoli and sent to the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, UCSD. Perhaps as an oversight your office failed to send a copy to me? The letter was routed to me via the UCSD Office of the Campus Counsel. Because the letter is rife with baseless accusations and general misinformation about the article I wrote on the billboard your client sponsored and displayed in Little Italy, and about that community’s general reception of the billboard, I feel it requires a response.
But before I discuss the specifics of your allegations I would like to remark on your use of the word “jihad” to describe my criticism of Mr. Napoli’s choice of advertisement. Given the times in which we live, such shallow and unwarranted association with terrorism of anyone who stands up to protect his or her community’s right against defamatory representation is really quite a cheap shot, especially for a legal professional presumably schooled in the importance of language.
But let me go on to more relevant matters. The charges you make in the second paragraph of your letter are baseless, inaccurate and themselves defamatory, not to mention that they are simply untrue. First of all, you state in your letter that I “personally handed out the flyers and voiced [my] complaints to the residents of Little Italy.” The fact is that I did not hand out anything and did not speak to any residents or merchants concerning this issue. Secondly, you state that lately I have "attempted to escalate [the] malicious, defamatory and unwarranted attacks, by threatening persons doing business with Mr. Napoli". Aside from the fact that I do not know any of the persons who might be doing business with Mr. Napoli, I would challenge you to bring forth evidence that I spoke to any of them, let alone threatened anyone. Please, check your sources before making such spurious allegations. And, on the matter of "widening [the] vendetta to include other billboard participants through local television and newspaper media", again where have you gathered this information and from whom? I did email the San Diego Magazine, addressing its own participation in the demeaning representation contained on the billboard in their “Best of San Diego” issue. Otherwise, I have contacted no media, either television or newspaper, regarding either Mr. Napoli or any of the other "billboard participants" as part of what you refer to as a "vendetta" (is the use of this word inadvertent stereotyping on your part, Mr. O'Neal?).
Indeed, this would appear to be a pure case of "the emperor’s new clothes". While you charge me with making “defamatory and unwarranted attacks” on Anthony Napoli my article only points out that he himself identified his person, the others in the photograph, his business and, by extension, all other Italian Americans, in a defamatory way, i.e. as Mafiosi. What you take to be a personal attack on Anthony Napoli is merely what an academic observer in my position does. I am a commentator of such cultural manifestations. If you are interested, I could refer you to a number of articles and books that I have written on the subject and which have been widely read and quoted (even though I may be, as you imply, merely an Associate Professor). Some of the professional Italian American Associations of which I am member have Media Watch groups that address precisely the connotations and insinuations arising from images and constructs similar to Mr. Napoli’s billboard. I myself initiated the Association of Italian Canadian Writers’ Media Watch in 1996. The American Italian Historical Association, NIAF, UNICO, The Sons of Italy and many other such organizations also keep an eye on the media in order to point out such unfortunate and cynical uses of it. I am certain that they would resent their campaigns being branded as "jihad".
As to the issue of how my article might jeopardize Anthony Napoli’s business dealings, are you really suggesting that one should be blamed for asking that people think about where and with whom they invest their money? Remember, if people are worried as a result of the ad that they may be investing with a Mafioso it was Napoli's own ad that branded him as one. If the people in the billboard photograph have been offended or disadvantaged in any way, it has likely occurred as a result of your client’s implication that they too are Mafiosi, that they too are “connected”. Those individuals were in no way harmed by my article. As a matter of fact, just today Frank Busalacchi (brother of three of the individuals in the billboard photograph) welcomed me at Caffè Zucchero and assured me that I was always welcome at his establishment, even after my article.
All I have done, Mr. O’Neal, is write an article, an article pointing out that through the advertisement placed on the billboard, your client applies a negative stereotype to himself and, by association, to all Italian Americans. Mr. O’Neal, your letter is one string of continuous lies and fabrications, and I resent being implicated in your smear campaign in order to whitewash your client’s hypocrisy and arrogance.
Finally, I take extreme offense at your disparaging letter addressed to the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor at UCSD. The "legally unprotected conduct" of which you accuse me is all a fabrication. Again, there is nothing in my article that could be considered defamatory or that could be construed as “interfering in the contractual relations of Mr. Napoli”. Indeed, what you are doing with your defamatory and inflammatory letter is attempting to obstruct my intellectual freedom and right of expression. When did these become "unlawful conduct"?
Be aware, Mr. O’Neal, given the carelessness with which you have made your accusations, that I myself will hold you and your client fully responsible for any damages I may suffer as a result of the baseless and malicious fabrications contained in your letter.
Sincerely,
Prof. Pasquale Verdicchio,
Associate Professor, UCSD
posted by Pasquale Verdicchio at 3:54 PM
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