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It’s official: South Philadelphia’s 146-year-old Columbus statue is staying put in Marconi Plaza, and the plywood box — concealing the monument from public view — must be removed, a panel of Commonwealth Court judges ruled on Friday. The appeals loss is a bitter one for Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, who was openly criticized by Common Pleas Court...

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Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) and its legal team, led by George Bochetto, Esq., strongly believe that Common Pleas Judge John McVay Jr. erred in his ruling. The Court ruled that the ISDA may not infringe on the City’s right to free speech, but the problem is: that was not the issue before the Court. Our Complaint raises the issue tha...

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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 f...

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In October 2020, in the wake of a boiling anti-Columbus movement, ISDA President Basil M. Russo was unanimously elected by his peers to lead the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. Within a matter of weeks, COPOMIAO became an incubator of advocacy and activism focused on addressing longstanding issues that were undermi...

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As 2021 comes to a close, the statue of Christopher Columbus remains standing in Marconi Plaza. And as it has for the past year and a half, it remains entirely enclosed in a wooden box. The legal battle over whether the City of Philadelphia is allowed to relocate the statue could take another year or two to reach a conclusion, said the lawyer argui...

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A judge has ruled that a controversial Christopher Columbus statue can stay in South Philadelphia. "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 the judge in a seven-page decision on Tuesday.The ruling...

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On Tuesday, April 6, 2021, Philadelphia Councilmember Mark F. Squilla, The 1492 Society, and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations all joined forces to file a lawsuit in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney’s Executive Order No. 2-21, with which he...

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When: Tuesday, April 6th, 2021. Who: Plaintiffs are The Conference Of Presidents Of Major Italian American Organizations, Philadelphia Councilmember Mark F. Squilla, and The 1492 Society. Where: Suit has been filed in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania  On January 27, 2021, Mayor Kenney by “Executive Order” No. 2-21...

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