Dr. Gilda Rorro Baldassari and John Scarpati, Sr. saw red last week. Both proud U.S. citizens of Italian-American descent, expressed anger and concern after someone vandalized the statue of Christopher Columbus inside the Hamilton Ave. park which bears the controversial explorer’s name. Red paint covered several areas of Columbus’ body while the base of the statue showed significant paint damage.

“I’m not going to get into who did what to who ever 500 years ago because my grandparents had nothing to do with that. That was all some other time,” Scarpati, president of the Mercer County Italian American Festival, said.