The fight isn’t over in Philadelphia.
The “Friends of Marconi Plaza,” a volunteer group that succeeded last year in saving a statue of Christopher Columbus in South Philadelphia, has filed another lawsuit against Mayor Jim Kenney and members of the Philadelphia Historical Commission over their roles in the effort to remove the statue.
“Frankly, it’s shocking what took place here, and it’s a shocking disregard for their responsibilities,” said attorney George Bochetto, who represents the group and who has spearheaded the legal effort to save the 147-year-old statue.
Bochetto alleges that Mayor Kenney and city officials conspired to abuse the legal process and acted with malice in trying to uproot the statue from Marconi Plaza, after it became the scene of tense protests in the summer of 2020, Fox News reports.
In the wake of the protests, Mayor Kenney sought to remove the statue, citing public safety, but his efforts quickly screeched to a halt.
“It is baffling to this court as to how the City of Philadelphia wants to remove the Statue without any legal basis. The city’s entire argument and case is devoid of any legal foundation,” said Judge Paula Patrick, who first ruled on the matter in August 2021.
Mayor Kenney then lost an appeal this past December, a ruling that effectively saved the statue once and for all.
The statue was sculpted in Italy out of marble by Emanuele Caroni, and was funded by numerous groups and individuals, including then-King of Italy, Emmanuel II.
Not only did the statue pay homage to Columbus’ discovery of the New World, but it was also emblematic of the journey of many Italian Americans who came to the U.S. for a new life.
Saving Columbus Day in Philadelphia, and Beyond
Bochetto filed a separate lawsuit — on behalf of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations — against Mayor Kenney after he changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day by executive order in January 2021.
Last month, Bochetto took the suit to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking, in part, to declare Italian Americans as a protected class under the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.
Such protections would aid in the preservation of Columbus’ statues and holidays throughout the country.
CLICK HERE to view the filing with the Supreme Court, and read the relevant facts on numbered pages 3 – 17.
FIND THE REAL HISTORY OF COLUMBUS DAY IN AMERICA, HERE.
Italian Sons and Daughters of America is a proud member of The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. COPOMIAO is comprised of 61 of the most influential, cultural, educational, fraternal and anti-defamation groups in the nation.
