Columbus boycott planned
By Arthur Kane
Denver Post Staff Writer
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,53%7E151506,00.html
Wednesday, September 19, 2001 - In an effort to prevent violence, 11 Italian-American groups said Tuesday that they will avoid the Columbus Day parade in Denver and urged others to boycott it.
"We don't think it's proper to march and have strife . . . in such a time of mourning and grief," said Dave Sprecace, chairman of the Denver Columbus Day Parade Committee. The committee plans to hold a parade next year.
Despite the groups' plans, there still may be protests or clashes in the streets because parade permit holder C.M. Mangiaracina is keeping the words "Columbus Day" in the name of the Oct. 8 parade. American Indian and Hispanic groups have said they will oppose any march with Columbus in the title.
Activist LeRoy Lemos said the Transform Columbus Day Alliance, a group that has planned alternative events for Columbus Day, hasn't discussed what to do about Mangiaracina's parade. But protests are likely if Columbus is in the parade name, he said.
"Any activities that take place on the Columbus holiday, that celebrate Columbus Day or have his name attached to it will be vigorously protested," Lemos said. "Until I hear differently, that's what I'm planning."
Mangiaracina, who holds the parade permit, said the event will be titled "Columbus Day 2001: A National Day of Mourning" and will not celebrate Columbus. It will honor those who died during the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., and the terrorist-hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.
"It will be a very sober walk in respect to all the people killed and victims who remained," he said. "It will be a national day of mourning. I can't imagine anyone . . . protesting it."
Manager of Safety Ari Zavaras said Tuesday that police will continue to prepare for protests unless the groups find a way to resolve their differences.
Last year, about 140 people were arrested protesting the first Columbus Day parade in nine years, but city officials eventually dropped charges against most of them.
The clashes traditionally have been between American Indian and Italian-American groups, but this year the Italians are clashing with each other.
Mangiaracina said some Italian groups are just upset that his original parade name - before the terrorist attacks drove him to change it - contained the phrase "Italian Pride," which he put in to make it tougher for protesters to attack the parade. "They would violate the ethnic intimidation law," he said.
But Joe Ciancio, president of the Grand Lodge-Sons of Italy, said Mangiaracina was supposed to get a permit for all of them, but went off on his own. Zavaras refused Friday to allow multiple parades to be held on the same day.
"He got the permit without permission of Italian organizations," Ciancio said. "The city is not going to give two permits. We, at the proper time, might have to go to court" to get a permit for next year's parade.
Mangiaracina said those groups do not represent Denver Italians because most live in the suburbs.
The 11 groups said they will hold a Columbus Day fundraiser at Rocky Mountain Lake Park for the firefighters and police officers killed in last week's attack.
The Transform Columbus Day Alliance is planning vigils Oct. 5-8 for victims of terrorism and Columbus' exploitation of the Americas.
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