Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on local and regional news you won't find anywhere else

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Archive 2004-2013
  • Toggle search form
  • Father and two daughters Jeffery M Leving
    Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters Dads' Rights
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations Illinois Legislature
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz” Crime
  • IIEC Logo
    The Energy Omnibus Bill will increase rates over the rest of this decade as Illinois families and businesses toil under higher utility costs Business
  • Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Detroit, Courtesy of WIkipedia
    Cook County Treasurer Pappas showcases Polish photographer’s first-ever American exhibit and honors Polish American Heritage Month in Chicago Cook County
  • On Saturday, October 4th, Cook County Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar hosted the Fifth Annual 16th District Dia de los Muertos Resource Fair at his district office. Partnering with Commissioner Aguilar were the Village of Lyons, Lyons School District 103, Teamsters Local 777, and Rincon Family Services.
    Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar Hosts Fifth Annual Dia de los Muertos Family Resource Fair  Cook County
  • Jesse Jackson Jr July 2025
    Jesse Jackson Jr. Launches Candidacy for Congress Civil Rights
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas to Celebrate Diwali by Recognizing Indian Community Leaders Cook County
  • Andrew Boutros US Attorney Illinois
    Statement of US Attorney Andrew S. Boutros and Federal Law Enforcement Leadership in Chicago on Ongoing Criminal Immigration Enforcement Operations Chicago
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    The 5 Most Common Mistakes Homeowners Make with Property Taxes Cook County
  • Road construction cement truck. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Hastings: $123 million in IDOT projects will improve South Suburban roads through collaboration with local leaders construction
  • Source: Electric Power Monthly - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
    Ratepayers will lose in the rush to approve battery storage electricity legislation in Springfield Business
  • Joyful reunion photo courtesy of Jeffery M. Leving & Assc law firm
    Leving Team Prevented a Father’s Wrongful Separation from His Child Dads' Rights
  • CTF Illinois Orland Park, 18230 Orland Pkwy, Orland Park, IL 60467
    Hastings, Giannoulias announce opening of temporary driver services facility in Orland Park Baby Boomers
  • Emagine Theater Pink popcorn
    Popcorn with a purpose: Emagine Theatres brings back Pink Caramel Corn to support Pink Fund during Breast Cancer Awareness Month Business
Agreement on Christopher Columbus Statue

Italian Americans accuse Chicago Park District of illegally removing Columbus statue

Posted on April 8, 2021April 8, 2021 By Ray Hanania 1 Comment on Italian Americans accuse Chicago Park District of illegally removing Columbus statue
SHARE THIS STORY
149           
 
  
149
Shares

Italian Americans accuse Chicago Park District of illegally removing Columbus statue

Chicago’s Italian American community remembers 130-year-old mass lynching

After a Freedom of Information Act request to the Chicago Park District (CPD) about the Christopher Columbus statues removed this past summer, attorneys for The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA) found a plethora of paperwork signed over fifty years ago.

Included was a signed agreement that in essence states, “The Park District will, in perpetuity, obtain the written approval of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans before making any substantial change to Columbus Plaza or the statue.” That did not happen. The Arrigo Park statue was removed in the middle of the night in July, without written notice.

Ron Onesti, President of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, wrote a four-page letter addressed to the Chicago Park District Board and its Legal Counsel. In it, he referenced the legal basis and the history of the agreement with the CPD, and the reasons why this is a Park District issue rather than a City of Chicago concern. In fact, the letter also infers that the Mayor removed those statues “temporarily” without jurisdiction as the Chicago Park District, an independent municipality, should not have allowed the City of Chicago to interfere with the agreement between the CPD and the JCCIA.

Agreement on Christopher Columbus Statue

Attached to the letter are ten exhibits, including the signed agreement, meeting minutes, letters, and the program from the dedication on October 10, 1973. Exhibits found here.

“We are hopeful that the Chicago Park District will honor what we feel to be a solid, enforceable contract with us,” said Onesti. “These statues are very important to our community and represent generations of traditions, including the one day of the year that we celebrate our culture on the federal Columbus Day holiday. We know the original intention of removing the statues was one of safety, but that was months ago, and it is time to return them. I look forward to a dialog towards a resolve of the Park District obtaining the statues from the city and putting them back to their original locations.”

The JCCIA, a 501c3 corporation, is the congress of over fifty Italian American organizations in the Chicago area

History in Chicago

In this time of great social examination, history continues to be discussed, challenged, and underscored. Chicago’s Italian American community will remember the victims of the country’s largest mass lynching by vigilantes 130 years ago this Sunday, March 14 at 2pm. The solemn and informative event will take place at the foot of the fountain where a statue of Christopher Columbus once stood at Arrigo Park, 801 South Loomis Street in Chicago.

Christopher Columbus statue Chicago Grant Park. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Christopher Columbus statue Chicago Grant Park. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

In 1891, when a viable murder suspect of New Orleans’ prominent police chief was not determined, the Mayor ordered the arrest of over two hundred “Dagoes,” a contemptuous term for someone of Italian extraction. Of them, 19 were indicted, nine were tried and all were acquitted. Unfortunately, anti-immigrant sentiment and horrendous mistreatment of Italian dockworkers prevailed as 3000-8000 vigilantes stormed the prison on March 14, 1891 and proceeded to kill 11 Sicilian men, shooting, and lynching them in the public square.

“This horrific event is another example of anti-immigrant oppression many European ethnics, especially Italians, suffered during America’s formative years,” said Ron Onesti, President of The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and coordinator of the event. “It is our intention to bring to light some of these occurrences as social healing remains at the forefront of our society.”

In April of 2019, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued an official Proclamation of Apology to the Italian American community stating: “What happened to those 11 Italians, it was wrong, and the city owes them and their descendants a formal apology,” Cantrell said in her address. “This attack was an act of anti-immigrant violence.”

130 years later in Chicago’s Columbus Plaza at Arrigo Park, members of various ethnic communities, along with Frank Maselli, Honorary Consul of Italy in New Orleans, and Chairman of the Italian American Cultural Center in New Orleans, will gather to remember these 11 Sicilians. In 2019, Maselli hosted the Apology Proclamation ceremony in New Orleans and will attend Sunday’s event in Chicago. This solemn remembrance ceremony notes the deep wounds of anti-immigrant suffering as well as the importance of acknowledging this history as a source of healing toward a more peaceful and inclusive society.

Those in attendance at Sunday’s remembrance will adhere to CDC guidelines and protocols while the ceremony will also be streamed on JCCIA’s Facebook page.

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

Follow RayHanania at Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters - October 9, 2025
  • Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations - October 8, 2025
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz” - October 8, 2025
NPV: 25
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
149           
 
  
149
Shares
 
149
Shares
 
 
 149         
Chicago, Cook County, General Topics, News, Racism, Suburban Chicagoland Tags:1973 agreement, Chicago Park District, Christopher Columbus, Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, Racism, removal, statue, violating civil rights

Post navigation

Previous Post: Pekau won re-election but lost campaign to build his own Machine
Next Post: Stop blaming police for killing of 13-year-old out on the street in middle of the night

Related Posts

  • FEMA Flooding updates on how to get post flood services Oct. 21, 2023
    The Importance of Checking Your Furnace, Winter is Coming! Cook County
  • Lora Kreczmer Arrest Warrant Chicago Ridge Police
    Orland Township trustee candidate has outstanding arrest warrant breaking news
  • Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon, July 20, 1969 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Was it staged using sophisticated video technology or real?
    Why conspiracy theories are necessary Baby Boomers
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas
    Pappas’ office helps Chicago couple get $2,447 property tax refund Blogger
  • National Weather Sevrice storm map of snowstorm moving from Montana through the Midwest on Thursday Feb. 8, 2018
    Chicagoland communities prepare for snow storm impact breaking news
  • Dads' Rights Attorney Jeffery M. Leving. Specializing in Fathers' Rights, Family Law, Child custody, divorce proceedings
    Leving reflects on case saving little girl and analyzes pre-nuptial agreements General Topics

More Related Articles

Summit boat launch may get new life News
Nitro Circus Nitro Circus’ “You Got This” tour comes to Bridgeview’s SeatGeek Stadium in Spring Entertainment
Supporters gather for ‘Walk to End Alzheimer’s’ Events
Tony Award Winner Robert Falls returns to Goodman Theatre to direct his adaptation of "The Cherry Orchard" Photo courtesy Goodman Theatre Tony Award Winner Robert Falls returns to Goodman Theatre to direct his adaptation of “The Cherry Orchard” Chicago
Fighting oppressive taxes in Cook County Editors Pick
Arrogance of the Orland Park Village Board Editors Pick

Comment (1) on “Italian Americans accuse Chicago Park District of illegally removing Columbus statue”

  1. Pingback: The Driver's Side" – News From The Motorist's Perspective | theexpiredmeter.com

Comments are closed.

  • OPINION
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Video Podcast: Trump Kimmel Kirk Great American Divide Illegal Aliens polling and Illegal Aliens and ICE
    September 20, 2025
  • Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch speaking at a West Side affordable housing dedication
    Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, one of the best candidates to become Illinois Governor
    September 7, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    What You’re Missing on Your Property Tax Bill
    September 5, 2025
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Children of divorce caught in the middle during the holidays
    August 27, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    We Can Help You Understand Your Property Taxes—In Nearly Any Language
    August 8, 2025
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio

  • NEWS
  • Father and two daughters Jeffery M Leving
    Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters
    October 9, 2025
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations
    October 8, 2025
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz”
    October 8, 2025
  • IIEC Logo
    The Energy Omnibus Bill will increase rates over the rest of this decade as Illinois families and businesses toil under higher utility costs
    October 8, 2025
  • Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Detroit, Courtesy of WIkipedia
    Cook County Treasurer Pappas showcases Polish photographer’s first-ever American exhibit and honors Polish American Heritage Month in Chicago
    October 8, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme