Syracuse, N.Y. — Construction crews had torn up and closed off most of the streets surrounding Columbus Circle on Monday. But that didn’t stop a crowd – many people dressed in their Sunday best and boasting Italian flag pins – from picking their way through the roadwork.
The crowd of about 400 gathered beneath the Columbus monument, some gazing up at the imposing figure or chatting in small groups as they awaited the start of this year’s official wreath-laying ceremony honoring Columbus Day and Italian heritage in Syracuse.
The atmosphere was mostly celebratory, although one woman held a sign: “Save western civilization from communism!”
This was the first time the decades-old ceremony has been held since a group of prominent residents sued Mayor Ben Walsh and the city over plans to relocate and replace the Columbus statue.
Event organizer Nick Pirro, a former county executive and one of Walsh’s most outspoken critics on the issue, said more people than usual attended to support the cause of keeping the statue in what they think is its rightful place.
The ceremony was followed by a luncheon at the Oncenter, during which County Executive Ryan McMahon and nonprofit leaders Leigh-Ann and John Tumino were honored for their contributions to the community. Walsh did not attend either event.
“We’re having our ceremony, it’s a beautiful day and we’ve got a great luncheon planned,” Pirro said. “And the rest of it is in the courts.”
Michelle George, whose Onondaga name is Gah-hon-no-neh, was the lone protester among the crowd. She stood mostly silently, holding up a purple and white flag of a two-row wampum, representing peace between the Onondaga Nation and white settlers.
George said she’d rather see the Columbus statue in a museum, but not because she wants to offend descendants of Italian immigrants. She said immigrants and the Onondaga have worked peacefully together in the past.
“But we need representation for our own people,” she said. “I would like something better for our people to stand up here.”
One woman made it her mission to keep George’s flag from view, alternately butting in front of her and at one point trying to grab the flag out of her hands.
“It happened 600 years ago. Get over it,” that woman told George. She declined to give her name.
Syracuse Common Councilor Pat Hogan, one of several local officials who attended the ceremony, said it’s a shame the monument has become a divisive issue. Hogan’s uncle was a musician who played during the first ceremony at the statue in 1934.
“The Italian Americans in Central New York have a great history and heritage here, and they’ve done a lot to build the city into a great city,” Hogan said. “When I think of Columbus, I just think about the Italian American community.”
An attendee, Tony Russo of Baldwinsville, agreed, saying he was excited to celebrate the statue, the man it represents and the history behind both.
Russo, who grew up on the West Side of Syracuse, said his grandfather was one of many Italians in the area who helped pay for the statue’s construction.
“The money for the statue wasn’t coming from the city government, you know? It came from donations from the people,” he said, calling Mayor Ben Walsh’s attempt to relocate the statue “way out of left field.”
“You don’t like it? Just don’t look at it,” he advised.
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