Attorney George Bochetto, who is running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, will hold a rally at Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue in Schenley Park on Saturday, April 23 at 1 p.m.
Bochetto, a member of Italian Sons and Daughters of America, filed a lawsuit in late 2020 on behalf of ISDA to block the removal of the 50-foot Columbus statue, which was paid for by the city’s Italian American community decades ago.
(In the fall of 2020, the Pittsburgh Art Commission voted to uproot the statue, with the former mayor, Bill Peduto, approving the decision. Peduto, a two-term incumbent, was defeated in the city’s mayoral primary by nearly 10 points in the spring of 2021.)
At the rally, Bochetto will offer updates on the progress of the lawsuit, pay homage to city and state police, and discuss his vision for the state of Pennsylvania.
The judge presiding over the Pittsburgh Columbus lawsuit asked ISDA and city leaders to submit settlement proposals in the hopes that the two sides could reach a compromise.
In Bochetto’s settlement agreement, ISDA President Basil Russo proposed that if the Columbus statue were to remain in Schenley Park, then an inclusive space would be created nearby where other ethnicities could share their culture, art and documentaries.
ISDA was prepared to offer significant funding for this inter-cultural area; however, Pittsburgh’s leadership rejected the settlement proposal, and refused to submit its own proposal.
Today, the Columbus parades and monuments are conflated with slavery and discrimination, which is entirely inaccurate.
In 1891, 11 Italian Americans were lynched in the streets of New Orleans, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the Italian and American governments.
Benjamin Harrison, the U.S. President at the time, organized the first national Columbus celebration in 1892 to curry favor with Italy and win support among the nation’s rapidly growing Italian American community.
From there, Italian Americans built Columbus monuments and organized parades to beat back discrimination and fuel assimilation.
Bochetto will set the record straight at the rally, and all are welcome to attend.
Good luck to all of Pennsylvania’s senate candidates, and best of luck to George Bochetto.
See you on April 23rd at 1 p.m.!
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